The latest unnecessary biography of our century's most garrulous monk, by the Rochester priest whose previous labors in this vineyard (Thomas Merton's Dark Path, 1981, etc.) have established him as a master of the genre. The problem that confronts all Merton biographers—even Michael Mott, whose The Seven Mountains of Thomas Merton remains the definitive and best work on Merton by far—is that their task was largely complete in 1948 when Merton's own autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, was published to international acclaim. A born writer whose early life could have been set to music by Verdi, Merton gave an account of how he managed to land in Gethsemane Abbey in Kentucky by way of France, Long Island, London, Greenwich Village, Cuba, and Harlem (with quite a few excursions en route) that remains unsurpassed to this day, both as a good read and as a portrait of the author's interior life. What happened to him once he got past the cloister is bound to have less interest for the common reader (although Merton's life was pretty adventurous even there) and is, once again, better described by Merton himself in his diaries and correspondence—much of these already published. Shannon tries to broaden the perspective by compiling a ``chronology'' juxtaposing events in Merton's life with larger historical phenomena (``the establishment of NATO,'' for example, or ``the publication of Finnegan's Wake''), but this doesn't really succeed in adding much to a story that most Mertonians—for whom this book is obviously intended—have learned by heart a long time since. A straightforward rehash, decently done but unremarkable. (Ten photographs.)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-8245-1166-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Continuum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1992
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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