In Praise of the Useless Life by Paul Quenon

  •
1 1

In Praise of the Useless Life by Paul Quenon

Checking stock...
Checking stock...
Proud to be B-Corp

Our business meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. In short, we care about people and the planet.

The feel-good place to buy books
  • Free delivery in Australia
  • Supporting authors with AuthorSHARE
  • 100% recyclable packaging
  • Proud to be a B Corp – A Business for good

In Praise of the Useless Life by Paul Quenon

Winner of two 2019 Catholic Press Association Awards: Memoir (First Place) and Cover Design (Second Place).


Monastic life and its counter-cultural wisdom come alive in the stories and lessons of Br. Paul Quenon, O.C.S.O., during his more than five decades as a Trappist at the Abbey of Gethsemani. He served as a novice under Thomas Merton and he also welcomed some of the monastery's more well-known visitors, including Sr. Helen Prejean and Seamus Heaney, to Merton's hermitage. In Praise of the Useless Life includes Quenon's quiet reflections on what it means to live each day with careful attentiveness.

The humble peace and simplicity of the monastery and of Quenon's daily life are beautifully portrayed in this memoir. Whether it be through the daily routine of the monastery, his love of the outdoors no matter the season, or his lively and interesting conversations with visitors (reciting Emily Dickinson with Pico Iyer, discussing Merton and poetry with Czeslaw Milosz), Quenon's gentle musings display his love for the beauty in his vocation and the people he's encountered along the way.

Inspired by his novice master Merton, the poet and photographer's stories remind us that the beauty of life can best be seen in the uselessness of daily life--having a quiet chat with a friend, spending time in contemplation--in our vocations, and in the memories we make along the way.

You might also like

Quenon, Paul: - Born in West Virginia, Br. Paul Quenon, OCSO, entered the Trappists in 1958 at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, where Thomas Merton was his Novice Master. He is the author of many poetry collections including Unquiet Vigil, and a recent memoir, In Praise of the Useless Life.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9781594717598
ISBN 10 1594717591
Title In Praise of the Useless Life
Author Paul Quenon
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Ave Maria Press
Year published 2018-04-13
Number of pages 160
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.