The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University

MERTON'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH:
Bourne, Russell

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Descriptive Summary

Record Group: Section A - Correspondence

Dates of materials: 1966-1968

Volume: 16 item(s); 17 pg(s)

Scope and Content

Merton was asked by his friend Rabbi Abraham Heschel, a biblical scholar, in December of 1966 if he was interested in writing an introduction for a new edition of the Bible. The planned book, an annotated and illustrated edition, by Time-Life Books was not published; however, the manuscript for the article was published as a book by the Liturgical Press in 1970 under the essay's title Opening the Bible. Merton had qualms about writing an introduction to the Bible, as he did not consider himself a biblical scholar. Also, in a response to Heschel in 1966/12/12, he mentions that he is "not too happy with big fancy projects organized by the mass media". After his essay was written, he suggested that it was not an adequate introduction, but could fit between the New and Old Testaments. The last couple of letters also mention Merton's literary magazine Monks Pond. Bourne sends him a concrete poem and Merton mentions a plan for an upcoming issue featuring concrete poems exclusively. (Sources: see the enclosed letters and the introduction by Rob Stone to the 1986 edition of Opening the Bible.)

Biography

Russell Bourne was an editor working for Time-Life Books in New York. He follows up Abraham Heschel's inquiry about writing an essay for the Time-Life Illustrated and Annotated Bible.

Usage Guidelines and Restrictions

Related Information and Links

See also the posthumous publication of Merton's essay on the Bible, entitled Opening the Bible (see the 1986 edition for an introduction by Rob Stone), and "Ninevah to Calvary: Thomas Merton and a Spiritual Geography of the Bible" by William Apel, published in The Merton Annual, Volume 13 (October 2000): pp. 235-244; and see also the "Stone, Naomi Burton" file.

Other Finding Aids

If the person in correspondence with Merton has full text records in the Merton Center Digital Collections, there will be a numeric link to them below.
   

Series List

This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.

Container List

SeriesDateTypeTo/FromFirst LinesPubFull TextNotes
 1966/12/15 TLSto MertonOur very good friend and consultant, Dr. Abraham Heschel, has told us of your kindness in responding   
 1966/12/27 TL[c]from MertonThanks for your letter of the 15th, which gives me a much clearer idea of the project. I have been   
 1967/01/05 TLSto MertonYour kind letter arrived just in time for me to share it with the project's consultants at our   
 1967/01/07 TL[c]from MertonThanks for your letter of the 5th which reached me this morning. I still have not progressed very   
 1967/01/27 TLSto MertonIt certainly was kind of you to entertain me at such length and so well when I was in Kentucky.   
 1967/02/15 TL[c]from MertonThanks for your letterof [sic] Jan.27 and above all for the splendid book on <u>Siena</u> by Titus   
 1967/02/17 TLSto MertonThanks for your note. I was very pleased to hear that you see no big obstacle looming and that you   
 1967/02/24 (#02)TL[c]from Stone, Naomi BurtonMany thanks for yours of February 17th and the enclosed document. Perhaps I didn't make it clear  [see "Stone, Naomi Burton" file for letter]
 1967/05/22 TLSto MertonLast week at a small conference of our Bible consultants I was able to grab the elbow of Dr. Heschel   
 1967/06/07 TL[c]from MertonThanks for your letter of May 22nd. I am still certainly hoping to see you and Dr Heschel sometime   
 1967/09/24 TL[c]from MertonI am enclosing a tentative plan for my introduction to the opening volume of the Time Life Bible.   
 1967/09/28 TLSto MertonMany thanks for your outline which has just arrived. It looks interesting and full and attractive,   
 1968/02/26 TLSto MertonEnclosed for your interest is a copy of Dr. James Sander's Introduction to the Old Testament for our   
 1968/03/09 TL[c]from MertonThanks for sending me Dr Sanders' OT introduction. I have just glanced at it so far but will enjoy   
 1968/03/13 TLSto MertonYou're right that the best place for your piece would be in the position between the Old and New  Merton's piece to appear between Old and New Testaments / <u>Monks Pond</u> / sending one of his concrete poems
 1968/03/28 TL[c]from MertonWell, you turned the tables on me. I was happy to see your concrete poem. There is a lot of that  reaction to Bourne's concrete poem / plans to do an all concrete poem edition of <u>Monks Pond</u> / anthology of concrete poems by Emmett Williams
        

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