In this fascinating, intelligent, and beautifully written book. What i want to do is live in as much silence as is possible at this point in our history. 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. Sara maitland born 27 february 1950, london is a british writer of religious fantasy. Sara maitland grew up in london and south west scotland. A book of silence, sara maitland 97815824365 boeken. The best books on silence five books expert recommendations. 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. A book of silence by sara maitland, paperback barnes. She has described these changes in her life and the experiences leading to them in the autobiographical a book of silence. The most urgent was posed in reaction to a letter from a respected friend, who argued against silence. 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.
The 62yearold prizewinning novelist crams more into our 90 minutes than the reduced. Bristol festival of ideas book prize nomination, 2009 a book of silence bbc national short story award runner up, 2009 moss witch. The book is an examination of the importance of silence, its cultural history, and the aversion contemporary society has to it. I was free to do anything i wanted and i knew that meant forging a life with silence at the centre of it. Since 2000, british writer sara maitland has been investigating, searching for, reaching for silence. Maitland lectures parttime for lancaster universitys ma in creative writing and is a fellow of st chads college, durham university. 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. 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. 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. 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. Sara maitland must be the least likely candidate for the life of a silent hermit that i have ever met. Maitland s odyssey, the book of silence, is a story about a discovery of self and god in a world of silence. A book of silence by sara maitland patrick t reardon.
Maitland is the author of several books including the counterpoint press title, book of. Maitland was, and is, religious, an anglocatholic, socialist feminist who, in the 1990s, after her marriage ended, took to living alone. Reviewed by alastair mcintosh for third way magazine. In her late forties, after a noisy upbringing as one of six children and adulthood as a vocal feminist and mother, sara. The talk was hosted by the leicester centre for creative. Sara maitland, a book of silence scottish author sara. 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. The year i turned 50 was the year my son finished school and left home. Sara maitland goes to remote places to explore the peaceful realm of. Maitland set out with many questions about the nature of silence and its companion, solitude. 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. Sara maitland is the author of numerous works of fiction, including the somerset maugham awardwinning daughters of jerusalem, and several nonfiction books. A book of silence by sara maitland books the guardian. In her late forties, after a noisy upbringing and then adulthood.