WRITER

Thomas Merton

1915 - 1968

Photo of Thomas Merton

Icon of person Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968), religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. He was a monk in the Trappist Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, living there from 1941 to his death. Merton wrote more than 50 books in a period of 27 years, mostly on spirituality, social justice, and pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Thomas Merton has received more than 2,834,634 page views. His biography is available in 37 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 36 in 2019). Thomas Merton is the 1,952nd most popular writer (down from 1,804th in 2019), the 2,212th most popular biography from France (down from 2,020th in 2019) and the 272nd most popular French Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 2.8M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 56.36

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 37

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.37

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.37

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Thoughts in solitude
Biology
1958
The seven storey mountain
1948
Thomas Merton
1998
Bread in the wilderness
Religion
The Psalms, which Thomas Merton called "one of the most valid forms of prayer for men of all time," are the most significant and influential collection of religious poems ever written, summing up the theology of the Old Testament and serving as daily nourishment for the devout. Bread in the Wilderness sets forth Merton's belief that "the Psalms acquire, for those who know how to enter into them, a surprising depth, a marvelous and inexhaustible actuality. They are bread, miraculously provided by Christ, to feed those who have followed Him into the wilderness." Merton's goal in this moving book is to help the reader enter into the Psalms: "The secret is placed in the hands of each Christian. It only needs to be discovered and fulfilled in our own lives." The new ND Classic edition of Bread in the Wilderness faithfully reproduces the beautiful, large-format original 1953 New Directions books, created by the celebrated designer Alvin Lustig and lavishly illustrated throughout with photographs of a remarkable medieval crucifix at Perpignan, France.
19535 / 5
Seeds of contemplation
1949
No man is an island
Religion
This volume is a stimulating series of spiritual reflections which will prove helpful for all struggling to find the meaning of human existence and to live the richest, fullest and noblest life. --Chicago Tribune
19553 / 5

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Thomas Merton ranks 1,952 out of 7,302. Before him are Bernard Palissy, Jón Arason, Eugenio Barba, Jane Jacobs, Margarete Buber-Neumann, and Denis Fonvizin. After him are Movses Kaghankatvatsi, Eugene Nida, Albert Memmi, Anthony Trollope, Ion Druță, and Gian Giorgio Trissino.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1915, Thomas Merton ranks 76. Before him are Don Budge, Joseph Greenberg, Georgy Sviridov, Kunihiko Kodaira, Hanns Martin Schleyer, and Kiyosi Itô. After him are Arsenio Erico, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Alicia Rhett, Kon Ichikawa, Liisi Oterma, and C. W. Ceram. Among people deceased in 1968, Thomas Merton ranks 68. Before him are Augustin Bea, Boris Lyatoshinsky, Santos Iriarte, Hitoshi Imamura, Rezső Seress, and Fyodor Okhlopkov. After him are Camille Huysmans, Cornell Woolrich, Darío Moreno, Jean Paulhan, Chester Carlson, and Ryszard Siwiec.

Others Born in 1915

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1968

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In France

Among people born in France, Thomas Merton ranks 2,212 out of 6,770. Before him are Philippe Nahon (1938), Jacques Cœur (1395), Élisabeth Depardieu (1941), César Baldaccini (1921), Nominoe (800), and François-Marie Raoult (1830). After him are Marie Anne de La Trémoille, princesse des Ursins (1642), Edgard Varèse (1883), Catherine of Burgundy (1378), Oronce Finé (1494), Guy Ligier (1930), and Maurice Couve de Murville (1907).

Others born in France

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among WRITERS In France

Among writers born in France, Thomas Merton ranks 272. Before him are Philippe Quinault (1635), Éric Zemmour (1958), Pierre Gringore (1475), Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens (1704), Avitus of Vienne (450), and Bernard Palissy (1510). After him are Pierre Klossowski (1905), Hincmar (806), Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac (1597), Gustave Kahn (1859), Fred Vargas (1957), and Christian Jacq (1947).

French born Writers

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous