Review: China Between Empires: The Northern and Southern Dynasties

China Between Empires: The Northern and Southern Dynasties by Mark Edward Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second volume of the History of Imperial China series and is a good follow-up to the first volume- the Qin and Han Dynasty volume. This volume looks at what happens to China after the Han dynasty and before the Tang dynasty could re-establish stability for a few centuries. The period is distinguished by smaller kingdoms, vying for control and by a burst of cultural creativity.

The structure of the book is similar to the first volume- analytical rather than narrative. That does mean that it is easy to lose track of the chronology, especially in a period as confused as this one. Lewis does keep the sense of continuity, but it can still be confusing to a novice.

This is worth reading and I'm already plotting to get the Tang Dynasty volume and continue the story.

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Review: Man of Dialogue: Thomas Merton’s Catholic Vision

Man of Dialogue: Thomas Merton’s Catholic Vision by Gregory K. Hillis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this biography of Thomas Merton in my library and really glad that I virtually picked it up. It is probably the best of the several I've read in the recent past.

What Hillis is trying to address is the conservative Catholic critique of Merton, that, in the later part of his life, he was drifting away from the Christian monasticism he originally exemplified towards an Eastern, Buddhist or non-Christian monasticism in his later life. Hillis addresses this by making a case (and a strong case, in my opinion) that Merton's writing and his monastic practice was always a very Catholic one, so his approach to Eastern monastics was in the spirit of dialogue, not a desire to change allegiances. I think Hillis makes his case, but then I'm sympathetic to Hillis' and, I think, Merton's dialogue style.

What I found most helpful in this book is the effort to engage in Merton's theological underpinnings. So many of the biographies I've read have focused on other things, but I had been looking for something to understand the background of what Merton was trying to say- both theologically and personally. Like most of us, Merton was a complex man and he was as unfaithful at times as he was faithful, so understanding what he was trying to do as well as what he did is really quite important. Hillis does this with a thorough understanding of Merton's writing (both published and journals) and a strong understanding of the theology behind it. I found myself learning more about Catholic, especially monastic, spirituality which was a plus.

I strongly recommend this book because it does take Merton seriously, both theologically, but also as a person. That is an achievement in any biography, but, with Merton, who rapidly becomes a cipher for whatever cause one might have (and this is both progressives and conservatives), that is a huge accomplishment.

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Review: The Alexiad

The Alexiad by Anna Comnena
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a re-read for me and one of the several books which got me into Byzantine history in the first place. But I hadn't read it in years, so I thought it might be fun to do so. It was harder going that I remembered, but worthwhile.

Anna Comnena is sometimes a difficult historian to work through. That is, her historical work is generally quite good. Her chronology can be a bit wonky, but that is true of a lot of ancient and mediaeval historians. And there are passages of truly insightful historical and character study which take one's breath away. But interspersed are passages of skin-creeping panegyric of her father that really can put one off. Now, I do understand that she had several axes to grind, most of them related to court politics, so one has to factor that in. But that can be off putting.

Still, she still deserves her place as one of the best historians in the Byzantine Empire, so well worth reading.

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