AUDIOBOOK
About
Journey through the life and literary genius of Thomas Merton. When Thomas Merton published The Seven Storey Mountain in 1948, no one could have expected it to become an international sensation. An autobiography of his conversion to Catholicism, it became a wildly popular bestseller, propelling this humble Trappist monk to literary fame. Today, it is widely regarded as a spiritual classic.
While it remains his most famous work, The Seven Storey Mountain is only the tip of the iceberg in Merton's rich, multi-layered oeuvre. In Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain, and the Rest of the Story, you will join acclaimed Merton biographer Dr. Michael W. Higgins in exploring Merton's compelling autobiographical literature. As you examine his journals, letters, novels, and poetry, you will encounter a brilliant portrait of the premier Catholic spiritual figure of the twentieth century. As you will see, while The Seven Storey Mountain established Thomas Merton as a prominent writer, he also felt that it presented a limited portrait of him. Indeed, his later autobiographical works, such as Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander and The Asian Journal, show a more mature and fully realized vision. The Seven Storey Mountain would establish many of Merton's most powerful themes-his later works brought these themes to their apex. In this course, you will examine the writings of this modern and post-modern chronicler of the soul's unfolding. Encounter Thomas Merton-the man, monk, and mystic-today.
*Photograph of Thomas Merton used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center, Bellarmine University.
While it remains his most famous work, The Seven Storey Mountain is only the tip of the iceberg in Merton's rich, multi-layered oeuvre. In Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain, and the Rest of the Story, you will join acclaimed Merton biographer Dr. Michael W. Higgins in exploring Merton's compelling autobiographical literature. As you examine his journals, letters, novels, and poetry, you will encounter a brilliant portrait of the premier Catholic spiritual figure of the twentieth century. As you will see, while The Seven Storey Mountain established Thomas Merton as a prominent writer, he also felt that it presented a limited portrait of him. Indeed, his later autobiographical works, such as Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander and The Asian Journal, show a more mature and fully realized vision. The Seven Storey Mountain would establish many of Merton's most powerful themes-his later works brought these themes to their apex. In this course, you will examine the writings of this modern and post-modern chronicler of the soul's unfolding. Encounter Thomas Merton-the man, monk, and mystic-today.
*Photograph of Thomas Merton used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center, Bellarmine University.
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Reviews
"Michael Higgins is a first rate public intellectual. His is among the most erudite and astute voices in matters of spirituality and culture that we have in North America today."
Joseph Raab – Prof of Religious Studies at Siena Heights University & Co-Editor of The Mer
"Michael Higgins: brilliant, mischievous, eloquent, full of imagination. As one of Canada's leading public intellectuals, he has instructed, challenged and provoked his readers or hearers on both sides of the border on matters of spiritual and social import. Any attention on your part to what he says or writes will more than repay the investment of your time and reflection."
Donald Grayston, Anglican priest and theologian; past president, International Thomas Mert
"Michael Higgins is a gifted writer and speaker whose work on major spiritual figures such as Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen and others guarantees that his listener is in for a banquet of rich, spiritual, and life-giving fare."
Paul M Pearson, Director, Thomas Merton Center.