Hear Trappist Monk Talk! February 13 at Old First

Mary Gordon’s book “On Thomas Merton” was released Jan 2019 by Shambhala Publications. Photo by Christopher Greenleaf

On February 13 at Old First, author Mary Gordon presents her book On Thomas Merton, in conversation with Father James Martin.

Gordon, a best-selling novelist and memorist shares her deeply personal view of her discovery of the celebrated modern monk and thinker through his writings.

Thomas Merton (1815-1968) was a Trappist monk, poet, essayist, activist, and author of some of the most influential spiritual writing of the 20th century. He entered the Trappist monastery of Gethsemani in Kentucky as a young man in his twenties, seemingly abandoning the promising literary career that lay before him. But from the silent cloister in which he spent all but the last few weeks of his life, his influence spread throughout the world through his writing, primarily on topics related to the spiritual life–a subject which he demonstrated to be very broad indeed. His life of dialogue led him to explore a range of contemplative practices, particularly Buddhism, and he was one of the pioneers in raising awareness in Buddhist philosophy and practice among Westerners.

Gordon, as a Catholic in critical dialogue with her church, came to explore Merton relatively late in her own journey, becoming fascinated with him through his writing, particularly as a fellow writer. She documents her exploration of Merton though his books–the ups and downs of the experience, areas of disagreement and sympathy, of annoyance and, ultimately, deep connection. It’s a profoundly personal view of one of the great spiritual figures of our age, by an interpreter who, while disinclined to go easy on her famous subject, reveals a great admiration and fascination with him.

Gordon is a novelist, essayist, memoirist, literary critic, and the McIntosh Professor of English at Barnard College. Her numerous bestsellers include Final Payments (Anchor, 2006), Circling My Mother (Pantheon, 2007), and Reading Jesus (Anchor, 2010). She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Award, an O Henry Award, and an Academy Award for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

In March 2008, Governor Eliot Spitzer named Mary Gordon the official New York State Author and gave her the Edith Wharton Citation of Merit for Fiction. She was inducted as a member of the inaugural class of the New York Writers Hall of Fame in 2010.

Rev James Martin – author, editor, and Jesuit priest – will interview Ms Gordon

Interviewer Rev. James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, editor at large of America magazine, consultor to the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communication, and author of numerous books, including the New York Times bestsellers Jesus: A Pilgrimage, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything and My Life with the Saints, which Publishers Weekly named one of the best books of 2006. Father Martin is a frequent commentator in the national and international media, having appeared on all the major networks, and in such diverse outlets as The Colbert Report, NPR’s Fresh Air, the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.  Before entering the Jesuits in 1988 he graduated from the Wharton School of Business.

On Gordon’s book, Martin says, “Only a writer as talented as Mary Gordon could have written about a writer as talented as Thomas Merton. I’ve read dozens of books about my hero, the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, and suspected that I couldn’t learn much that was new. Mary Gordon’s fascinating new book proved me wrong.  She opens up an essential side of Merton’s life–his life as a writer–in a way that helps me understand him an entirely new, and entirely surprising, light.”

Key takeaways we’ll explore:

• Merton lives forever: The popularity of books by and about Thomas Merton never goes away. Most of his more than 50 books remain in print and continue to sell–many having attained classic status–as do the numerous biographies. Several societies dedicated to promoting and analyzing his work flourish.

• The Pope agrees: Pope Francis, in his 2015 speech before Congress, singled out Merton (along with Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and Dorothy Day) as one of four “great Americans” to be emulated by all, increasing interest in Merton even further.

• A striking point of view: Mary Gordon is in the tradition of Roman Catholic authors who balance criticism of the tradition with love for it, and her approach to Merton, whom she’s lately been lecturing on, reflects that balance.

• Fifty years since Merton’s death: The book comes out half a century since Merton’s untimely death in 1968 and will benefit from the events surrounding the anniversary at the Thomas Merton Center, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY, and elsewhere.

For this literary event at Old First, we created a Brown Paper Tickets page with both a free RSVP option and a VIP option which included priority seating and a copy of the book.

Enjoy a wine-and-cheese reception after the conversation.

This event is part of our Arts at Old First series featuring a theme of art and faith. Arts at Old First carries out Old First’s mission to offer hospitality to creative and art-minded community groups. This includes the annual Brooklyn Bluegrass Bash, the annual Park Slope Messiah Sing-along, and various other events supporting the visual, literary, and musical arts. Arts at Old First events benefit the Old First Restoration Fund.

Click here for more information on the event and to RSVP.

Thomas Merton (1915 – 1968) in his study.