World Literature: Pico Iyer (England) Shares “Aflame: Learning from Silence”

British novelist and essayist Pico Iyer has made more than one hundred retreats over the past three decades to a small Benedictine hermitage high above the sea in Big Sur, California. He’s not a Christian—or a member of any religious group—but his life has been transformed by these periods of time spent in silence. This conversation, moderated by curator for World Literature Anderson Tepper, will follow Pico’s life and work, with a special focus on his latest book, Aflame: Learning from Silence (January 14, 2025).
“For many years, Pico Iyer has been a lodestar and compass—my guide to far-flung places, from Ethiopia to Iran, Cuba to Kashmir and Kyoto. Increasingly, he’s ventured inwards as well, probing ‘the art of stillness’ in the midst of our frenetic world. His new book, Aflame, is ablaze with reflections on his decades-long experiences at a silent monastery in the hills of Big Sur—a place of deep insight and renewal. Pico is our modern-day sage of inner and outer journeys.” —City of Asylum Curator for World Literature, Anderson Tepper

In Aflame, Pico connects with inner stillness and joy in his many seasons at the monastery, even as his life is going through constant change: a house burns down, a parent dies, a daughter is diagnosed with cancer. He shares the revelations he experiences, alongside wisdom from other nonmonastics who have learned from adversity and inwardness. Most profoundly, he shows how solitude can be a training in community and companionship. In so doing, he offers a unique outsider’s view of monastic life—and of a group of selfless souls who have dedicated their days to ensuring there’s a space for quiet and recollection that’s open to us all.

Radiant, intimate, and gripping, Aflame offers ageless counsel about the power of silence and what it can teach us about how to live, how to love, and, ultimately, how to die.
Purchase a copy of Pico’s book, Aflame, at City of Asylum Bookstore.