In Praise of the Useless Life: A Monk's Memoir (Paperback)
Winner of two 2019 Catholic Press Association Awards: Memoir (First Place) and Cover Design (Second Place).
Monastic life and its counter-cultural wisdom come alive in the stories and lessons of Br. Paul Quenon, O.C.S.O., during his more than five decades as a Trappist at the Abbey of Gethsemani. He served as a novice under Thomas Merton and he also welcomed some of the monastery's more well-known visitors, including Sr. Helen Prejean and Seamus Heaney, to Merton's hermitage. In Praise of the Useless Life includes Quenon's quiet reflections on what it means to live each day with careful attentiveness. The humble peace and simplicity of the monastery and of Quenon's daily life are beautifully portrayed in this memoir. Whether it be through the daily routine of the monastery, his love of the outdoors no matter the season, or his lively and interesting conversations with visitors (reciting Emily Dickinson with Pico Iyer, discussing Merton and poetry with Czeslaw Milosz), Quenon's gentle musings display his love for the beauty in his vocation and the people he's encountered along the way. Inspired by his novice master Merton, the poet and photographer's stories remind us that the beauty of life can best be seen in the "uselessness" of daily life--having a quiet chat with a friend, spending time in contemplation--in our vocations, and in the memories we make along the way.
Monastic life and its counter-cultural wisdom come alive in the stories and lessons of Br. Paul Quenon, O.C.S.O., during his more than five decades as a Trappist at the Abbey of Gethsemani. He served as a novice under Thomas Merton and he also welcomed some of the monastery's more well-known visitors, including Sr. Helen Prejean and Seamus Heaney, to Merton's hermitage. In Praise of the Useless Life includes Quenon's quiet reflections on what it means to live each day with careful attentiveness. The humble peace and simplicity of the monastery and of Quenon's daily life are beautifully portrayed in this memoir. Whether it be through the daily routine of the monastery, his love of the outdoors no matter the season, or his lively and interesting conversations with visitors (reciting Emily Dickinson with Pico Iyer, discussing Merton and poetry with Czeslaw Milosz), Quenon's gentle musings display his love for the beauty in his vocation and the people he's encountered along the way. Inspired by his novice master Merton, the poet and photographer's stories remind us that the beauty of life can best be seen in the "uselessness" of daily life--having a quiet chat with a friend, spending time in contemplation--in our vocations, and in the memories we make along the way.
Br. Paul Quenon, O.C.S.O., entered the Trappists in 1958 at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, where Thomas Merton was his novice master. Quenon is a photographer and the author of several books of poetry, including Unquiet Vigil--named a "Best Spiritual Book of the Year" by Spirituality & Practice and "Best Poetry Volume of the Year" by Hearts and Minds Books. Quenon coauthored Carved in Stone and also contributed spiritual reflections to other books. Pico Iyer is a British author and Time magazine essayist who lives in Japan.