Kindred Spirits (Thomas Merton, Jack Kerouac, and Zen)

“This ambitious work aims to draw parallels between two post–World War II luminaries: the Trappist monk Thomas Merton and the Beat writer Jack Kerouac, two men who, as the author states, were ‘so different in personal choices and lifestyles’ yet united by their shared interest in Buddhism. In alternating chapters, the lives of Merton and Kerouac are relayed chronologically. Sellner relies on primary source material—letters, diaries, interviews, recollected conversations—to tell their stories.”—Kirkus Reviews

Brilliant interweaving of American writers Thomas Merton and Jack Kerouac, and the influence of Buddhism upon them

This book is about two twentieth century giants: the Catholic monk and spiritual writer Thomas Merton, and the Beat writer Jack Kerouac, who as Roman Catholics studied Zen Buddhism which changed them profoundly.

They shared much: Celtic ancestry, Columbia University, writings known nationally and internationally, grounded in a spirituality of nature that reflected respect for all sensate creatures. Merton became famous with the publication of his 1948 autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, and Kerouac with his iconic On the Road, first published in 1957. They knew of each other, but never met, although they had plans to do so before Merton’s tragic death in 1968. Both also were intensely involved in studying and writing about Buddhism; they each knew D.T. Suzuki, a leading figure introducing Zen to the West. Both too had a dark side, prone to depression, struggling with sanity, even suicidal thoughts. Sellner’s book examines the transformative, satori experiences in their lives, and how examining them together illuminates them both.