On Thomas Merton

“Ardent, heartfelt, headlong: with these words Mary Gordon lovingly penetrates to the core of Thomas Merton’s ongoing importance, but the same words apply to her achievement. Gordon is the ideal reader of Merton, matching his intelligence, irony, and authentic feel for the world beyond words. Her book brings his books back to life, and belongs with them from now on.”—James Carroll, author of Constantine’s Sword and The Cloister“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.“—James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage and Becoming Who You Are“Brilliant, incisive…. intelligent, moving.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Merton devotees and those wishing to learn more about him will appreciate this detailed look at his accomplishments and struggles.”—Library Journal “…. An ideal introduction to Merton for literary readers.”—Booklist“[Mary Gordon] brings to this book on Merton what he himself often offered others: the frank convictions of a practiced teacher, the certainty of an established critic, and the sympathy of a successful writer who is equally aware of struggle.”—America “If Merton is to remain a living voice, it is from such honest and steadfast devotion as Mary Gordon’s On Thomas Merton.”—New York Journal of Books

Mary Gordon is the author of eight novels, including There Your Heart Lies, The Company of Women, and The Love of My Youth; six works of nonfiction, including Joan of Arc- A Life and the memoirs The Shadow Man and Circling My Mother; and three collections of short fiction, including The Stories of Mary Gordon, which was awarded the Story Prize. She has received many other honors, including a Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Writers’ Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an Academy Award for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She teaches at Barnard College and lives in New York City.

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