You are one of those courageous people who want to dare to live. The more and the longer you are silent the more you hear the tiny noises within the silence, so that silence itself is always slipping away like a timid wild animal. In her late forties, after a noisy upbringing as one of six children and adulthood as a vocal feminist and mother, sara maitland found herself living alone in the country, and, to her surprise, falling in love with silence. In her late forties, after a noisy upbringing as one of six children and adulthood as a vocal feminist and mother, sara maitland found herself living alone in the. The 62yearold prizewinning novelist crams more into our 90 minutes than the reduced.
Over the past five years, she has spent periods of silence in the sinai desert and the australian bush and on the isle of skye. A book of silence grapples with ideas at the very heart of what it is to be human, and sara maitland is a joyous champion of the countercultural notion that silence is more than simply an absence of noise the times maitland s experience has. She spent all her life to the age of 50 talking, first as a member of a large and noisy family, then as a writer, lecturer, and activist living in london. We live in a noisy world, and true silence, if there is such a thing, is hard to come by. Sara maitland, too, felt this pull into the great nothing and, after 20 years as a vicars wife and noisy and acclaimed feminist novelist, embarked on a quest for silence which took her to. A book of silence by sara maitland, paperback barnes. Silence is the antimatter of the book world and to choose it as a subject is courageous. In the first chapter, maitland is sitting on the porch of her house on a high moor in englands county durham on a warm october morning, with nothing in my diary for the next fortnight. Maitland is the author of several books including the counterpoint press title, book of. Maitland lived in remote cottages, visited deserts, forests. Sep 02, 2010 this is an interesting book following one womans exploration of the nature of silence. By means of a series of real life experiments the author also tries to find out what it takes to put silence at the heart of a creative life. T his refreshing book charts the authors exploration of the energy of silence.
The most urgent was posed in reaction to a letter from a respected friend, who argued against silence. Over the past five years, she has spent periods of silence in the sinai desert, the australian bush, and a remote cottage on the isle of skye. As a practising christian and a writer, she values silence and the way it opens up a space within. The book is an examination of the importance of silence, its cultural history, and the aversion contemporary society has to it. One night, under a majestically starlit sky, maitland begins telling herself the. Eight years through the stillongoing process, she wrote about her endeavor in a book of silence as part of this journey, maitland has done 40 days and 40 nights of something approaching complete silence in a remote, isolated house in the far north of england. In this fascinating, intelligent, and beautifully written book, maitland describes how she set out to explore this new love, spending periods of silence in the sinai desert, the scottish hills, and a remote cottage on the isle of skye. Micaela maftei university of glasgow sara maitland has a clearly defined goal in her present life. Sara maitland is the author of numerous works of fiction, including the somerset maugham awardwinning daughters of jerusalem, and several nonfiction books about religion. Introverts who read sara maitland s new book about silence may need to recommit themselves to the commandment not to covet. May 06, 2019 sara maitlands search for silence and solitude turns into an intriguing spiritual quest which takes the reader deep into her inner thoughts and fears. By chapter two, in order to more fully explore her hunch that silence is. A book of silence in her late forties, after a noisy upbringing as one of six children and adulthood as a vocal feminist and mother, sara maitland found herself living alone in the country and, to her surprise, falling in love with silence. After a noisy upbringing as one of six children, and adulthood as a vocal feminist and mother, sara maitland began to crave silence.
The book is not all about maitland s own experience. In short, a book of silence is still a book by someone who loves talking. Jun 28, 2010 introverts who read sara maitlands new book about silence may need to recommit themselves to the commandment not to covet. Sara maitland books list of books by author sara maitland. Sara maitland must be the least likely candidate for the life of a silent hermit that i have ever met.
Maitland was, and is, religious, an anglocatholic, socialist feminist who, in the 1990s, after her marriage ended, took to living alone. Sara maitland after a noisy upbringing as one of six children, and adulthood as a vocal feminist and mother, sara maitland began to crave silence. She has described these changes in her life and the experiences leading to them in the autobiographical a book of silence. Over the past five years, she has spent periods of silence in the sinai desert, the australian bush, and the isle of skye. In this communicationfrenzied world, it is a somewhat threatening idea, but also one that many find attractive, at least in theory. I say if there is such a thing because, as author sara maitland discovered, there is some sound everywhere. Sep, 2009 maitland set out with many questions about the nature of silence and its companion, solitude. Sara maitland s book is an earnest and deep exploration of the nature and cultural significance of silence.
A book of silence quotes by sara maitland goodreads. Nov 20, 2012 sara maitland must be the least likely candidate for the life of a silent hermit that i have ever met. See all books authored by sara maitland, including a book of silence, and how to be alone, and more on. Maitland is a bold adventurer and the rest of us, doubtless illequipped to deal with the emotional and intellectual challenge of selfsought solitude, are lucky she can give the condition of silence such an articulate voice. Nov 01, 2008 a book of silence sara maitland 2008 at first, i found myself totally immersed in this book the need for silence, the difficulty in finding it, searching for it, gardening, reading, walking the darker sides etc. One night, under a majestically starlit sky, maitland. In this fascinating, intelligent, beautifully written book, maitland describes how she set out to explore this new love, spending periods of silence in the sinai desert. Eight years through the stillongoing process, she wrote about her endeavor in a book of silence. In this fascinating, intelligent, beautifully written book, maitland describes how she set out to explore this new love, spending periods of silence in the sinai desert, the scottish hills, and a remote cottage on the isle of skye.
Nov 14, 2008 maitland is not unaware of the paradox that by writing a book, especially a storytellers book, wherein language is a means of telling, shes going to invade the very silence she recommends. The best books on silence five books expert recommendations. She fell in love with the silence, and in this profound, frank memoir she describes how she explored this new love, searching for silence and solitude. Rather than something that enriches, it is seen as an absence, a lack. Maitland is the author of several books including the counterpoint press title, book of silence and daughter of jerusalem, winner of the somerset maugham award in 1978. Buy a book of silence reprint by maitland, sara isbn. A book of silence grapples with ideas at the very heart of what it is to be human, and sara maitland is a joyous champion of the countercultural notion that silence is more than simply an absence of noise the times maitlands experience has. It lies on the very edge of the arabian tectonic plate, which was ripped off of africa and pushed slowly northward, pulling the little sinai peninsula up from under the sea, draining it off, and then, as often happens at the edge of tectonic movements, shattering it with volcanic eruptions. Born in 1950, she studied at oxford university and currently tutors on the distance learning ma in creative writing for lancaster university. Sara weaves together her own journey with thoughts and quotes from those who have made this journey before her, especially the desert fathers. A book of silence by sara maitlandnovelist sara maitland, a lover of solitude, offers a practical rather than romantic guide to life in the middle of nowhere, says kate clanchy. A book of silence grapples with ideas at the very heart of what it is to be human, and sara maitland is a joyous champion of the countercultural notion that silence is more than simply an absence of noise. A book of silence by sara maitland books the guardian. I was free to do anything i wanted and i knew that meant forging a life with silence at the centre of it.
Maitland lectures parttime for lancaster universitys ma in creative writing and is a fellow of st chads college, durham university. Sara maitland born 27 february 1950, london is a british writer of religious fantasy. In her late forties, after a noisy upbringing and then adulthood as vocal feminist and mother, sara maitland found herself living in the country. Part memoir, part intellectual history, sara maitlands book examines not silence, exactly, but solitude and individuals withdrawal from society. A book of silence by sara maitlandnovelist sara maitland, a lover of solitude, offers a practical rather than romantic guide to life in the. Although telling stories is a very fundamental human attribute, to the extent that.
She cites polar explorers, solo roundtheworld sailors, and idealistic young chris mccandless, who went alone into the alaskan wilderness and died. A book of silence by sara maitland glasgow, scotland, uk. Jan 08, 2017 i spent a lot of time thinking about the kind of books i wanted to focus on in my attempt to read more slowly, and it wasnt too long before sara maitland s a book of silence found itself rising to the top of the pile. Over the past five years, she has spent periods of silence in the. In her late forties, after a noisy upbringing as one of six children and adulthood as a vocal feminist and mother, sara maitland found herself living alone in the country and, to her surprise, falling in love with silence. Moving to scotland into a solitary house on the remote moors of galloway, sara maitland now lives the life of quiet she celebrates in her latest book, a book of silence. The year i turned 50 was the year my son finished school and left home. Since 2000, british writer sara maitland has been investigating, searching for, reaching for silence. A book of silence by sara maitland the sunday times. Her memoir of these experiences is interwoven with the history of silence. Apr 04, 2012 thank you for sara maitlands article on the power of desert silence in pursuit of silence, april 18. Sara maitland grew up in london and south west scotland. A book of silence grapples with ideas at the very heart of what it is to be human, and sara maitland is a joyous champion of the countercultural notion that silence is more than simply an absence of noise the times maitland s experience has been rich and thorough, and deeply enviable.
Unfortunately, many of these vast desert places are under siege. Sara maitland has scaled the heights or is it depths. Sara maitland, too, felt this pull into the great nothing and, after 20 years as a vicars wife and noisy and acclaimed feminist novelist, embarked on. Maitlands odyssey, the book of silence, is a story about a discovery of self and god in a world of silence. Maitland looks at how silence has been seen and experienced by a variety of different people and groups over time, from the desert fathers to poets and solo adventurers.
A retreat from the world and into utter silence is often seen as an indication of something not quite right, and a risk that isolation can lead to insanity. A book for silence records a brave and adventurous psychological journey that will speak to all who have doubts about our increasingly overmaterialistic society. A book of silence kindle edition by maitland, sara. Trying to write a book on silence sounds a bit like an artist attempting to paint the invisible. Maitland has built a hermitage on an isolated moor in galloway, and the book culminates pdf powerfully with her experiences of silence in this new home. Thank you for sara maitland s article on the power of desert silence in pursuit of silence, april 18. A book of silence grapples with ideas at the very heart of what it is to be human, and sara maitland is a joyous champion of the countercultural notion that silence is more than simply an absence of noise the times maitlands experience has been rich and thorough, and deeply enviable. Maitland begins her encounter with silence by spending 40 days and nights alone in a house on the isolated isle of skye.
In this fascinating, intelligent, and beautifully written book. A book of silence by sara maitland posted on january 8, 2017 by bookbii i spent a lot of time thinking about the kind of books i wanted to focus on in my attempt to read more slowly, and it wasnt too long before sara maitland s a book of silence. Like the sinai, where she has found the sacred stillness of god, the deserts of the southwestern u. Maitland set out with many questions about the nature of silence and its companion, solitude.
The desire to break the silence with constant human noise is, i believe, precisely an avoidance of the sacred terror of. A book of silence grapples with ideas at the very heart of what it is to be human, and sara maitland is a joyous. Maitlands insightful awareness and comments on history and tradition helps the reader to discover aspects of silence that can only help build a balanced life. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.