A review by lucasmiller
Dialogues with Silence: Prayers & Drawings by Thomas Merton

4.0

A volume of prayers and drawings gathered from a number of sources. Most of the prayers are previously published, many of the draws were first published here. This has sat on my desk for close to a year. Occasionally glanced at and dipped into. In the past two weeks, I've read the second half of it in earnest. It is quiet and intimate. Less apologetic than some of the other Merton I've read. The final section with a number of prayers written for acquaintances (Robert Lax, Dorothy Day, etc.) are particularly moving, exhibiting some of Merton's humor as well as his fear and trembling. The final selection from the end of Merton's life while he was in Asia feel almost out of place, but are still vital to any larger understanding of Merton's development. Not where I would start, but if you like Merton, there is much here.