Books and a Film: All About Silence

Last updated on: December 13, 2018 at 12:08 pm by Carl "Skye" McColman

Books and a Film: All About Silence 2018-12-13T12:08:43-04:00 Carl "Skye" McColman

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I would love to attend the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin next month — if for no other reason than to be at the North American premiere of the movie In Pursuit of Silence. Here’s the latest trailer for this “meditative film about our relationship with sound and the impact of noise on our lives.”

So if you live in or near Austin, or are attending SXSW, go see this movie (they haven’t announced time and location yet, so keep an eye on the movie’s website for details.

In honor of In Pursuit of Silence, I thought I’d do something just for fun today — pull together a list of books with either the words “Silent” or “Silence” in the title. Some of these books I’ve already praised on this blog (or elsewhere online), others I haven’t read yet.

In other words, some of these books I can confidently say are wonderful, others are unknown quantities (at least to me). One title I myself wrote. I’ve set in bold a few books that are my personal favorites.

Most are spiritual or philosophical in nature, although representing a variety of traditions and perspectives. Three have the phrase “Silence of God” in the title — how cool is that?

So read with an inquiring mind and a discerning heart. If you have any suggestions of books that should be added to this list, let me know. And happy exploring!

A Camaldolese Hermit, Silence: A Series of Conferences
Alan Ecclestone, A Staircase for Silence
Alexander Ryrie, Silent Waiting: The Biblical Roots of Contemplative Spirituality
Alexander Ryrie, Wonderful Exchange: An Exploration of Silent Prayer
Alice Borchard Greene, The Philosophy of Silence
Anne D. Leclaire, Listening Below the Noise: A Meditation on the Practice of Silence
Benignus O’Rourke, Finding Your Hidden Treasure: The Way of Silent Prayer
Bieke Vandekerckhove, The Taste of Silence: How I Came to Be at Home with Myself
Bruce Davis, Monastery Without Walls: Daily Life in the Silence
Carl McColman, Befriending Silence: Discovering the Gifts of Cistercian Spirituality
Catherine Doherty, Molchanie: The Silence of God
Cornelius Wencel, The Eremitic Life: Encountering God in Silence and Solitude
Cyril Hepher, The Fellowship of Silence: Explorations in the Common Use of Prayer Without Words
Cyril Hepher, The Fruits of Silence: Further Studies in the Common Use of Prayer Without Words, Together With Kindred Essays in Worship
David G. Hackett, The Silent Dialogue: Zen Letters to a Trappist Monk
Br. David Steindl-Rast, The Way of Silence: Engaging the Sacred in Daily Life
Dainin Katagiri, Returning to Silence: Zen Practice in Daily Life
Diarmaid MacCulloch, Silence: A Christian History
Elias Marechal, Tears of an Innocent God: Conversations on Silence, Kindness and Prayer
Frank Bianco, Voices of Silence: Lives of the Trappists Today
Fred L. Holmes, The Voice of Trappist Silence
George M. Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute Silence
George Prochnik, In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise
Gregory Fruehwirth, Words for Silence: A Year of Contemplative Meditations
Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God Through Prayer, Wisdom and Silence
James P. Carse, The Silence of God: Meditations on Prayer
John Skinner, Hear Our Silence: A Portrait of the Carthusians
Karl Rahner, Encounters with Silence
Karmen MacKendrick, Immemorial Silence
Kyriacos C. Markides, The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality
Maggie Ross, Silence: A User’s Guide, Volume 1: Process
Maggie Ross, Writing the Icon of the Heart: In Silence Beholding
Martin Laird, Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation
Martin Laird, A Sunlit Absence: Silence, Awareness and Contemplation
Morton Kelsey, The Other Side of Silence: Meditation for the Twenty-First Century
Patrick Leigh Fermor, A Time to Keep Silence
Raimundo Panikkar, The Silence of God: The Answer of the Buddha
Richard Rohr, Silent Compassion: Finding God in Contemplation
Robert Llewelyn, Circles of Silence: Explorations in Prayer with Julian Meetings
Robert Sardello, Silence: The Mystery of Wholeness
Rowan Williams, Silence and Honey Cakes: The Wisdom of the Desert
Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence
Sara Maitland, A Book of Silence
Susan Tiberghien, Circling to the Center: One Woman’s Encounter with Silent Prayer
Susan Walker: Speaking of Silence: Christians and Buddhists on the Contemplative Way
Thich Nhat Hanh, Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise
Thomas Merton, Dialogues with Silence: Prayers and Drawings
Thomas Merton, Echoing Silence: On the Vocation of Writing
Thomas Merton, The Silent Life
William H. Shannon, Silence on Fire: Prayer of Awareness

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