The book of silence

The longing for silence and the desire to explore its essence, power, and joys more closely has led British writer Sara Maitland on a journey that continues to this day. It begins with a forty-day retreat, during which the author examines the effects of silence on her own body and mind, followed by periods of silence in religious contexts, alone in the desert, or in the mountains. Sara Maitland explores the accounts of mystics about their experiences with silence, as well as those of polar explorers, circumnavigators, climbers, and divers who deal with long or extreme phases of silence and solitude. She also addresses the question of which forms of stillness foster creativity and which have the opposite effect. "The Book of Silence" offers, far beyond the author's personal experiences, an insight into the multifaceted nature of silence and how it has fascinated, frightened, and delighted people throughout the ages.