Let's Elect Silence

The British Edition of a Thomas Merton Classic Can Inspire Us Today

Despite its significant flaws, Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain is a modern classic of contemplative and mystical literature. But did you know that when it was published in England, it was given a new title? Evelyn Waugh edited (and abridged) the first UK edition of the book, which he renamed as Elected Silence.

Americans are so accustomed to as…