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Patrick Leigh Fermor
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A Time to Keep Silence (New York Review Books Classics) Paperback – October 30, 2007

by Patrick Leigh Fermor (Author), Karen Armstrong (Introduction)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 335 ratings
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While still a teenager, Patrick Leigh Fermor made his way across Europe, as recounted in his classic memoirs, A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water. During World War II, he fought with local partisans against the Nazi occupiers of Crete. But in A Time to Keep Silence, Leigh Fermor writes about a more inward journey, describing his several sojourns in some of Europe’s oldest and most venerable monasteries. He stays at the Abbey of St. Wandrille, a great repository of art and learning; at Solesmes, famous for its revival of Gregorian chant; and at the deeply ascetic Trappist monastery of La Grande Trappe, where monks take a vow of silence. Finally, he visits the rock monasteries of Cappadocia, hewn from the stony spires of a moonlike landscape, where he seeks some trace of the life of the earliest Christian anchorites.

More than a history or travel journal, however, this beautiful short book is a meditation on the meaning of silence and solitude for modern life. Leigh Fermor writes, “In the seclusion of a cell—an existence whose quietness is only varied by the silent meals, the solemnity of ritual, and long solitary walks in the woods—the troubled waters of the mind grow still and clear, and much that is hidden away and all that clouds it floats to the surface and can be skimmed away; and after a time one reaches a state of peace that is unthought of in the ordinary world.”
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    96 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    NYRB Classics
  4. Publication date
    October 30, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    4.98 x 0.29 x 7.97 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1590172442
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1590172445
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

A Time of Gifts Between the Woods and the Water The Broken Road A Time to Keep Silence Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese Roumeli: Travels in Northern Greece
A Time of Gifts Between the Woods and the Water The Broken Road A Time to Keep Silence Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese Roumeli: Travels in Northern Greece
Customer Reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars
1,516
4.5 out of 5 stars
734
4.5 out of 5 stars
740
4.3 out of 5 stars
335
4.3 out of 5 stars
367
4.3 out of 5 stars
185
Price $13.42 $12.86 $14.73 $12.20 $14.50 $15.95
About this book In this work, Patrick Leigh Fermor recounts the first leg of a 1934 cross-continental walk. Patrick Leigh Fermor recounts the second leg of his 1934 trek to Constantinople. The third and final volume of Patrick Leigh Fermor's legendary trek across Europe. Patrick Leigh Fermor chronicles his several sojourns in some of Europe's oldest and most celebrated monasteries. Patrick Leigh Fermor on his journeys amongst the peoples of the southern-most parts of Greece. Patrick Leigh Fermor tells of his wanderings in and around Northern Greece.
The Traveller's Tree: A Journey through the Caribbean Islands The Violins of Saint-Jacques Patrick Leigh Fermor: A Life in Letters In Tearing Haste Abducting a General: The Kreipe Operation in Crete Patrick Leigh Fermor: An Adventure
The Traveller's Tree: A Journey through the Caribbean Islands The Violins of Saint-Jacques Patrick Leigh Fermor: A Life in Letters In Tearing Haste: Letters between Deborah Devonshire and Patrick Leigh Fermor Abducting a General: The Kreipe Operation in Crete Patrick Leigh Fermor: An Adventure
Customer Reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars
135
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131
4.7 out of 5 stars
24
4.1 out of 5 stars
13
4.1 out of 5 stars
23
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596
Price $16.69 $7.99 $16.40 $9.21 $24.96 $22.03
About this book Patrick Leigh Fermor on his travels around the Caribbean. Patrick Leigh Fermor's only novel, about disaster on a small, fictional island. Letters spanning almost seventy years of Patrick Leigh Fermor's life. The punchy correspondence between Patrick Leigh Fermor and Deborah Mitford, the Duchess of Devonshire. Patrick Leigh Fermor's account of kidnapping General Kreipe, the German commander in Crete, on April 26, 1944. Artemis Cooper's celebrated biography of the intrepid travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Delightful…His book is not only an admirable piece of travel writing; it is also a brilliant piece of human exploration." — The New Statesman

"Prose lapidary and evocative enough to please even the hardiest skeptic." — The Washington Post

"His shortest book (and to my mind his best)…its hammered terseness is…a good match for the sobriety of the subject." — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

"Fermor writes logbooks of discovery, keenly meandering through architecture, music, art, history and the minutiae of everyday life…[His] erudition and courage are matched by his discerning compassion, which shapes the probing character sketches that populate his books, including A Time to Keep Silence." — Los Angeles Times

"A most successful attempt to portray the reactions of the man of the world (in the literal sense) when confronted with the monastic life." — Daily Telegraph (UK)

Praise for Patrick Leigh Fermor:

"One of the greatest travel writers of all time”–The Sunday Times

“A unique mixture of hero, historian, traveler and writer; the last and the greatest of a generation whose like we won't see again.”–Geographical

“The finest traveling companion we could ever have . . . His head is stocked with enough cultural lore and poetic fancy to make every league an adventure.” –Evening Standard

If all Europe were laid waste tomorrow, one might do worse than attempt to recreate it, or at least to preserve some sense of historical splendor and variety, by immersing oneself in the travel books of Patrick Leigh Fermor.”—Ben Downing, The Paris Review

About the Author

Patrick Leigh Fermor (1915-2011) was an intrepid traveler, a heroic soldier, and a writer with a unique prose style. After his stormy schooldays, followed by the walk across Europe to Constantinople that begins in A Time of Gifts (1977) and continues through Between the Woods and the Water (1986), he lived and traveled in the Balkans and the Greek Archipelago. His books Mani (1958) and Roumeli (1966) attest to his deep interest in languages and remote places. In the Second World War he joined the Irish Guards, became a liaison officer in Albania, and fought in Greece and Crete. He was awarded the DSO and OBE. He lived partly in Greece—in the house he designed with his wife, Joan, in an olive grove in the Mani—and partly in Worcestershire. He was knighted in 2004 for his services to literature and to British–Greek relations.

Karen Armstrong, a historian of religion, spent seven years in a Roman Catholic religious order; she has written about this experience in Through the Narrow Gate and The Spiral Staircase. She is also the author of many books, including A History of God, The Great Transformation, and, most recently, The Bible: A Biography.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ NYRB Classics; 0 edition (October 30, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 96 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1590172442
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1590172445
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.98 x 0.29 x 7.97 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 335 ratings

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Patrick Leigh Fermor

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
335 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Carolyn Simons
5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding acceptance
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2013
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Patrick Leigh Fermor needed quiet to write so he retreated to a French monastery, and thereby hangs the tale . . . It is a wonderful meditation and description of monastic life with addenda expanding his basic subject. Fermor did not begin with an allegiance to monastic life, and I don't think he ended with one--but his appreciation is another thing. I read his book and came away with complete admiration for the lives of the monks; a great desire to participate in their services; and a respect for their motives.
All of Fermor's books are worth both the read and then the study they provoke, but if one does due diligence, they may take time. This is a little easier than most. I read it in one day, and will read it again. It is easy to recommend this book as a rewarding exploration of the holy calling as practiced by monks, and a melodic Fermor read.
4 people found this helpful
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Richard R Krenning
4.0 out of 5 stars Fermor Among Monks
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2023
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A quiet journey through the gifts is silence, devotion, creativity. As a youth across Europe before WW2, as British secret service successful in Crete, and now unfolding the unwrapping the gifts of monkish work in France and Cappadocia. A good read foe your meditations.
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David
5.0 out of 5 stars Fermor is an excellent writer, and brings his subjects to life like ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2018
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Fermor is an excellent writer, and brings his subjects to life like few others can. He lives boldly, and as a result has excellent fodder for his writing. I've read him before, and I'll read him again.
2 people found this helpful
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Joseph J. Hauser
3.0 out of 5 stars Great book that is well written using vocabulary that is ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2018
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Great book that is well written using vocabulary that is very unusual to everyday use. A story in fact that reflects on some religious practices not for the fainthearted. The subject matter is probably not for every one but should one wish to enjoy the story telling (based on real life journey), that is true to fact, then this presents a present read.
One person found this helpful
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Not done yet...
5.0 out of 5 stars A retreat you can carry in your pocket
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2017
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I had to read this book for a book group—and absolutely loved it. It's like a little retreat that you can carry around in your pocket. Fermor describes the physical effects of being temporarily secluded in a cloistered monastery rather than the spiritual ones, but even those are very powerful, and they produce a deep effect on the reader. To his great surprise, the only regret that he ever heard from any of the monks was that they waited too long to join.
Unusual in that it was written by an agnostic, it has the beauty of seeing through the eyes of a true outsider. But agnostic though he was, Fermor was a poet with a keen eye and an appreciation for love and beauty that is not sullied by cynicism. My book came via Sweden Post, and is evidently the UK version. It lacks the pompous, bland, and nearsighted introduction by Karen Armstrong (which accompanies the American version). That intro has about the same effect as trying to visit a beautiful cathedral with someone who won't stop talking. This book does not need an introduction.
22 people found this helpful
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Prof. Butterworth
5.0 out of 5 stars The kind of book you don't want to finish...
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2010
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because it's so beautiful. Lovely, inspiring, all too brief. I want to know much more about this man and these monasteries. I tried to read Thomas Merton's Seven Story Mountain because I'm interested in monastic life and I couldn't get through it. Leigh Fermor, on the other hand, isn't on a faith journey. He's a writer looking for a quiet place to work. Yet he manages to tell me more about why one might choose to leave the world and become a monk than I got from Thomas Merton.
15 people found this helpful
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ScrawnyPunk
4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable, very erudite
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2008
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Another great book by a great travel writer. This is a very quick read, but absolutely stuffed with erudition. For all but the most educated, it wouldn't hurt to read this with Wikipedia as a companion piece. As with his other travel books, the mix of architecture, history, linguistics, and an obvious personal touch lend an air of familiarity which, in the end, help give the impression that you have experienced these things yourself.

I once read a review which stated this book concluded that the vow of silence and other retreats from secular life were not effective or warranted in some circumstances. In my opinion, this conclusion was not reached by the author. The opposite appears to be true - Fermor's return to secular life seemed to be more traumatic than his adjustment period during his first visit. His understanding is remarkable and serves as a good lesson to the casual reader - his hosts honestly believe they are suffering in order to atone for the sins of the world, and they ask for nothing in return.
34 people found this helpful
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Francescamaria
5.0 out of 5 stars Be still my heart!
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2014
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It is an incredible read that quiets the noise of the world. Wonderful to read in the evening before closing the day! If I were only fifty years younger I would venture to follow in Fermor's footsteps. The world is a very different place today, albeit still dangerous, he had the invincible spirit of the young and followed his dream. Successfully, I might add. Great read!
5 people found this helpful
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Gloria A. Gibbins
5.0 out of 5 stars Patrick Leigh Fermor always a pleasure
Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2018
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Another favourite author who is always a pleasure to read. His use of English is both lyrical and pragmatic. Loved it
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V Ravichandran
4.0 out of 5 stars The book is an easy read. That said
Reviewed in India on November 13, 2015
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An interesting book. Provides an insight into monastic life and information about the past history of the orders. I was completely ignorant of these and had no idea that these were functioning in modern times. The book is an easy read.
That said, the praise that I had read and which had prompted me to buy the book, was hyperbolic. I do hope his famous trilogy, also published by the New York Review of Books, is much better.
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Terry D
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely delightful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2013
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I was first introduced to Patrick (Paddy) Leigh Fermor when, at Christmas, a friend gave me copies of  A Time of Gifts  and  Between the Woods and the Water  - the story of his journey journey on foot, in 1933/34 and when he was 18, from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople. The third volume, which completes the journey, was never finished but, based on an early draft and his original diary,  The Broken Road: From the Iron Gates to Mount Athos  will finally be published in September 2013.

I thoroughly enjoyed the near-lyrical prose of these books whilst, as I have remarked in my other reviews, his knowledge of European history - both secular and religious - must be near-absolute. Yet Leigh Fermor has absolutely no difficulty in weaving that knowledge into a compellingly beautiful and entertaining story.

It was thus inevitable that a copy of 'A Time to Keep Silence', along with  The Traveller's Tree: A Journey Through the Caribbean Islands , should find their way onto my Kindle.

'A Time to Keep Silence' is a relatively short story (87 pages) written in a similar prose style and recounts the brief time he spent - living almost as a novitiate - at the Benedictine monasteries at St Wandrille and Solesmes and, later, at the isolated and far stricter Cistercian monastery of La Grande Trappe. In each case he portrays the spiritual charm and silent repose - to say nothing of his description of the architecture and history of these near ageless institutions - in a manner that is both skilful and beautiful.

The final monastery he visited took him on a journey backwards in time, into the remote and dateless world of the kingdom of Cappadocia, in what is now Turkey. Here he explored a vast underground city complete with a Byzantine church complex that had been abandoned many centuries ago. Once again Leigh Fermor skilfully pieces together what little is known of the history of this remarkable World Heritage site, a site that, during the early days of Christianity, became a religious refuge.

Like 'A Time of Gifts' and 'Between the Woods and the Water' this book is superbly written and is thoroughly recommended.

And, as Artemis Cooper recounts in her book  Patrick Leigh Fermor: An Adventure , he was far more than simply an accomplished historian and writer. During the Second World War, as a Major in the SOE (Special Operations Executive), he kidnapped General Heinrich Kreipe, Commander of the Sevastopol Division of the German army of occupation in Crete. Then, dressed in German uniforms and with the German General pinned down in the back of the car, he and a colleague drove through Heraklion, the German headquarters town, bluffing their way through checkpoint after checkpoint in the process. By the time they were taken off in a boat to Alexandria he and General Kreipe, having discovered a mutual love of the Latin odes of Horace, had become almost friends.

In 1944 he was awarded a DSO for his part in the saga whilst, in 1957, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger released a film ( Ill Met By Moonlight ) based on the abduction and starring both Dirk Borgarde and Marius Goring. 'Paddy' Leigh Fermor was knighted for services to literature in 2004.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Australia on May 19, 2016
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Brilliant!
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Tonton Jacques
3.0 out of 5 stars On reste sur sa faim
Reviewed in France on July 17, 2012
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Dans cette petite centaine de pages, Patrick Leigh Fermor évoque son expérience de "retraitant" dans les abbayes françaises de Saint-Wandrille, Solesmes et La Grande Trappe, avant d'évoquer les monastères dans le roc de Cappadoce, en Turquie. C'est un livre honnête, descriptif, assez documenté au niveau historique, mais on n'y trouve pas d'éblouissement (à l'image de l'auteur, apparemment). Disons que ça se lit avec curiosité, sans plus. Préférez tout de même, et de loin, les autres ouvrages de cet auteur pourtant fascinant (surtout "A Time of Gifts" et "Between the Woods and the Water", ou encore "Mani") : ce livre pourra les compléter, une fois l'essentiel de la découverte effectué. Fermor est décédé récemment, en 2011, c'est un des auteurs qu'on aime à conserver dans sa bibliothèque.
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