Witness to Freedom: The Letters of Thomas Merton in Times of Crisis

Trappist monk, novelist, poet and social critic, Merton (1915-1968) oscillates between engagement and solitude, hope and despair, in these impassioned, searching letters. This fifth and final volume of his correspondence--all of which are edited by Shannon--reflects his commitment to nuclear disarmament, his immersion in Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence, his growing ecological awareness and his quest for a political philosophy of freedom grounded in his Catholic faith. Merton critiques the United States as a ``warfare state'' in which the convergent interests of big business, the military and the wealthy dominate and dictate national policy. The content of his letters to ecologist Rachel Carson, folksinger Joan Baez, fellow poet-teacher Mark Van Doren, French-Arabic scholar Louis Massignon and Zen adept Masso Abe show the breadth of his pursuits. (Sept.)