The close friendship of Thomas Merton and John Howard Griffin is detailed by Griffin in his "Prologue" to Follow the Ecstasy; as well, there is a discussion of their affinities in Robert Bonazzi's "Foreword" to the Orbis Books edition of Follow the Ecstasy. The correspondence focuses on a wide range of subjects--race relations, the Vietnam War, major change in the Church under Pope John XXIII, and their mutual friendship with French philosopher Jacques Maritain, etc. The most discussed subject, however, turned out to be Merton's new-found passion for photography, which was greatly encouraged by Griffin (who gave the monk a good camera and processed his negatives).
Subseries XIII.1: General Correspondence
Box 13 Folder 452-456
Merton, Thomas To John Howard Griffin, Trappist, KY, & Bangkok, Thailand,, 1962 - 1968, 4 a.l.s. 8 a.p.c.s. 37 t.l.s. 5 t.p.c.s.
[Letter, dated November 9, 1968, is an Original Typescript on the letterhead of the Hotel Imperial in New Delhi. His last letter to Griffin was on the letterhead of The Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, dated December 7, 1968 (just three days before his death on Dec 10). Also, the envelope from that last letter, as well as a photographic packet Merton mailed from Thailand.
Box 13 Folder 457
Griffin, John Howard To Thomas Merton, Mansfield & Fort Worth, TX,, 1962-1967, 12 t.l. (carbon
Box 13 Folder 458
Abbey of Gethsemani Cards (8) re. Merton and Dom James Fox
Box 13 Folder 459
Dom James Fox To John Howard Griffin, Trappist, KY, 1963 - 1971, 9 t.l.s., 1 a.l.s.
[Dom James was Merton Is Abbot, with whom the monk had a long, personal, and sometimes confrontational relationship; also the Abbot who allowed Merton to live in a hermitage, beginning in 1965, as the first monk to become a hermit in the Cistercian Order since the Middle Ages
Box 13 Folder 460
Griffin, John Howard To Dom James Fox, TX, 1963-1971, 5 t.l. (carbon
[Re. the Abbot's permission for Griffin to photograph Merton in 1963 and discussion of the Fox-Merton relationship after the monk's death; out of Griffin's 1963 photo session with the monk came the 'Official Portrait'
Box 13 Folder 461
Palivic, Tom To John Howard Griffin, Louisville, KY, 19 Oct. 1975, 2 page a.l.s. (with carbon reply
Box 13 Folder 462
Three Homilies for the Funeral Mass of Abbot Fox, by Dom Flavian Burns (the succeeding Abbot), Brother Patrick Hart, and Father Matthew Kelty
Box 13 Folder 463 &464
Brother Patrick Hart To John Howard Griffin, Trappist, KY, 1966-1980
[Brother Hart was Merton's secretary in 1968; he has become the most knowledgeable Merton scholar today, publishing several anthologies by or about Merton, as well as being the General Editor for the Merton Journals (withheld from the public for 25 years after the monk's death; the first volumes will be published in 1994).
Box 13 Folder 465
Griffin, John Howard To Brother Patrick Hart, Fort Worth, TX, 1969-1973, 7 t.l. (carbon), 1 t.p.c.s., 1 t.n.
Box 13 Folder 466
Father John Eudes Bamberger To John Howard Griffin, Las Condes, Chile & Trappist, KY,, 19 Feb. & 27 May [n.y.], 2 a.l.s.
[A monk at Gethsemani for many years,. was a close friend of Merton's. He is a licensed psychiatrist, one of the most influential Merton scholars, and has become an Abbot. These-letters, as well as several deeply insightful articles about Merton, probe the psyche of the famous monk..; Father Bamberger counseled Merton-. during some of the monk's critical psychological periods of adjustment
Box 13 Folder 467
Griffin, John Howard To ten members of the Gethsemani community, TX, 1963-1973, 17 letters
[Mostly regarding their relationships with Merton, as part of Griffin's research for the Official Biography of Thomas Merton
Box 13 Folder 468-471
Houghton Mifflin Letters from various editors who worked with Griffin on the Merton projects (Austin Olney, Arabel Porter, Anne Freedgood, Richard McAdoo), Boston,, 1969-1980, ca 50 t.l.s. (with Griffin's carbon replies
Box 13 Folder 472 & 473
Laughlin, James To John Howard Griffin New Directions, New York, 5 a.l.s., 34 t.l.s.
Box 14 Folder 474
Colin, Rosica To John Howard Griffin, London, 31 Dec. 1969 - 16 Nov. 1979, 9 t.l.s. (with related material
[Griffin's agent in London
Box 14 Folder 475
O'Callaghan, Tommie To John Howard Griffin, Louisville, KY, 19 Feb. - 16 Oct 1969, 6 t.l.s. 1, t.l. 1, a.l.s.
Box 14 Folder 476
Stone, Naomi Burton To John Howard Griffin, New York & York, ME,, 1963-1973, 35 t.l.s., 3 a.l.s.
Box 14 Folder 477
Ford, John L. To John Howard Griffin, Louisville, KY, 11 Feb. - 14 May 1977, 5 t.l.s. (with related material
[Legal Counsel for the Trust, and one typescript carbon reply from Griffin; this correspondence details, among other issues, the Trust's demand that Griffin complete the Official Biography of Merton. or relinquish his control of the project (which he did in 1977)
Box 14 Folder 479
Appeals for financial assistance in order to complete the biography of Thomas Merton
Box 14 Folder 480
Paulist Newman Press Re. Merton photographs
Box 14 Folder 481
Paulist Press Request from Gerald Twomey, Editor, for Griffin's essay on Merton to appear in the anthology, Monk in the Belly of Paradox
[Reprinted as the "Epilogue" toFollow the Ecstasy
Box 14 Folder 482
Herder & Herder & Continuum Re. Merton photographs and essay
Box 14 Folder 483
CBS Documentary on Merton, "The Silent Singer," featuring many of Griffin's portraits of Merton
Box 14 Folder 484
Letters from foreign language publishing houses requesting photographs
Box 14 Folder 485
Hallmark Cards request for several portraits of Merton for their book, Day of the Stranger
Box 14 Folder 486
Requests from U.S. publishers (Bantam, Paulist Press, The Pilgrim Press, Glencoe, Georgia State University, etc) for use of photographs
Box 14 Folder 487
Abbey Press and Parabola Magazine requests to use photographs
Box 14 Folder 488
Photocopies of articles on Merton featuring Griffin portraits
Subseries XIII.2: Merton's Family Members
Box 14 Folder 489
Merton, B.K. To John Howard Griffin, New Zealand, 1970 & 1971, 8 a.l.s.
[ Merton's aunt on father's side, New Zealand
Box 14 Folder 490
Jenkins, Harold Brewster To John Howard Griffin, Douglaston, NY, 1970 & 1971, 3 a.l.s.
[His uncle on mother's side, New York
Box 14 Folder 491
Casper, Alice To John Howard Griffin, Staunton VA & Louisville, KY,, 16 July & 17 Aug. 1970, 2 t.l.s. (with carbon
[Close family friend to his aunts in New Zealand.
Box 14 Folder 492
Merton, Rev J.J. To John Howard Griffin, Christchurch, New Zealand, March 1971, 2 page t.l.s. (with carbon
[Merton, Vicar in New Zealand.
Box 14 Folder 493
Trier, Mrs. G.F. Trier To John Howard Griffin, New Zealand, 4 Oct. 1972, 2 page a.l.s.
[Re. Merton's brother, John-Paul, who died in WW II
Box 14 Folder 494
John Stanley On the work of painter Owen Merton, Thomas Merton's father, New York,, 12 Feb. 1975, 1 page t.l.s. (with related material
[Accompanied by a t.l.s. from John L. Barber to griffin re. Merton at Ockham-Cambridge
Subseries XIII.3: Merton's Physicians
Box 14 Folder 495
Smith, T.J. James Wygal & Thomas Marshall To John Howard Griffin, Louisville, KY,, 1969-1971, 3 t.l.s. 1, t.n.s. (with related carbons)
Subseries XIII.4: Merton Collections
Box 14 Folder 496
Correspondences with Curators of various Merton collection of papers, [v.p.],, 1969-1976, 1 a.l.s., 13 t.l.s., 1 t.p.c. (with related carbons
Subseries XIII.5: Close Friends of Merton
Box 14 Folder 497
Walsh, Father Dan To John Howard Griffin, KY, 1967-1969, 2 a.l.s., 1 a.p.c.s., 1 t.l.s.
[Directed Merton to the Abbey of Gethsemani in 1940
Box 14 Folder 498
Mark Van Doren To John Howard Griffin, Falls Village, CT, 30 Dec. 1969 & 21 Dec. 1970, 1 a.l.s., 1 a.p.c.s.
[Pulitzer Prize poet, novelist and critic, who was one of Merton's teachers at Columbia, remaining a life-long friend. Van Doren had Merton's early poetry manuscripts and he edited and introduced Merton's Selected-Poems
Box 14 Folder 499
Cardenal, Ernesto To John Howard Griffin, Nicaragua, 18 Jan, & 5 April [1970], 2 t.l.s.
[Nicaragua's Minister of Culture, who was a novice under Merton at Gethsemani; a widely-published poet in Spanish and English, wrote long poem for Merton published by New Directions
Box 14 Folder 500
Lentfoehr, Sister Therese To John Howard Griffin, WI, 5 April 1963 & 2 Jan. 1969, 1 a.l.s., 1 t.l.s. (with related material
[A friend of Thomas Merton who wrote the only full-length study of the his poetry, Words and Silence
Box 14 Folder 501
Berrigan, Father Daniel To John Howard Griffin, [v.p.], 1970s, 8 a.n.s. (with related material
[Radical Jesuit and old friend of Merton. All of the notes are written on photocopies of his poems and essays.
Box 14 Folder 502
Walsh, Brother Tony To John Howard Griffin, [v.p.], 22 July 1970 - 19 Dec. 1976, 2 t.l.s., 1 a.l.s. (with related material
[Close associate of Berrigan's, and winner of the Christian Culture Award
Box 14 Folder 503
Serkin, Rudolf To John Howard Griffin, Philadelphia, PA, 23 Dec. 1971, 1 page t.l.s.
[The famed-pianist, who owned Victor Hammer's famous drawing of Merton and donated the work to the Merton Studies Center
Box 14 Folder 504
Holloway, James To John Howard Griffin, Berea, KY, 5 March 1978 & 17 Nov. 1970, 2 t.l.s.
[Professor at Berea College, KY, who published Merton's work inKattalagemagazine
Box 14 Folder 505
Campbell, Will To John Howard Griffin, [n.p.], 10 Oct. 1965, 2 page t.l.s. (with carbon
[Director of The Committee of Southern Churchmen, and a colleague of Holloway (both visited Merton several times)
Box 14 Folder 506
Niles, Rena To John Howard Griffin, Lexington, KY, 17 March 1970 & 10 Nov. 1982, 2 t.l.s. (with related material
[John Jacob Niles was the composer who set Merton's poems to music forThe Niles-Merton Song Cycle
Box 14 Folder 507
Leahy, Father Stephen To John Howard Griffin, Piffard, NY, 16 July 1970, 1 page t.l.s. (with carbon
Box 14 Folder 507A
Rice, Ed Letter from John Howard Griffin To Ed Rice, Fort Worth, TX, 23 April 1970, 1 page t.l.s. (carbon
Subseries XIII.6: Asian Contacts
Box 14 Folder 508
Chakravarty, Amiya To John Howard, New Paltz, NY, 26 March 1971 - 4 March 1974, 3 a.l.s.
[Philosopher, who introduced Merton's last book,Asian Journal
Box 14 Folder 509
Geyche, T. To John Howard Griffin, Himachal Pradesh [India], 22 Jan. 1969, 1 page t.l.s. (with carbon
[Secretary to the Dalai Lama, whom Merton visited for thee days
Box 14 Folder 510
John Moffitt To John Howard Griffin, New York & Bangkok, 15 Aug. 1969 - 1 Nov. 1970, 4 a.l.s., 4 t.l.s. (with related material
[Editor of America magazine, who investigated the death of Merton in Asia
Box 14 Folder 511
Say, Father Celestine To John Howard Griffin, Manila, 25 June - 18 Sept. 1969, 3 t.l.s., 1 photograph, 1 negative strip (with related material)
[The first person to reach Merton after the monk's accidental death by electrocution in Bangkok; he also took the important photos of the 'death scene'--both Moffitt and Father Say made very significant contributions to the truth of Merton's death (in these letters)]
Negative strip has been removed from this file and is stored separately; see entry for Negatives (Photographs) immediately following this entry in the container list.
Box 46
Negatives (Photographs), circa 1968 December , 1 negative strip
If you wish to access this item, please contact the Library in advance of your visit. Access will be provided to a digital copy of the images on a closed computer in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library's reading room.
Single copies may be requested for research purposes. Any patron requesting copies must sign a fair use statement, and acknowledge that the copies are for private study only, and not for publication in any form. The Rare Book & Manuscript Library maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron. These images may not be published in any form without the permission of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani.
This negative strip includes two images of Merton's death scene taken by Father Celestine Say. This item was originally filed with related correspondence in Box 14 Folder 511. See Also: Box 14 Folder 511.
Box 14 Folder 512
John Wu, Jr. To John Howard Griffin, NJ & VA, 7 May & 6 June 1970, 1 a.l.s., 1 t.l.s. (with carbon
[His father was an important teacher in Merton's fascination for Zen
Box 14 Folder 513
Chang, Father Simeon To John Howard Griffin, Hong Kong, 26 Oct. 1970, 1 page t.l.s.
[Attended the Bangkok conference with Merton
Box 14 Folder 514
Soedjatmoko To John Howard Griffin, Washington, D.C., 7 Aug. 1970, 3 page t.l.s.
Subseries XIII.7: Friends and Colleagues
Box 15 Folder 515
Burden, Shirley To John Howard Griffin, CA, 28 Jan. 1970, 1 page t.l.s. (with carbon
Box 15 Folder 516
Zukofsky, Louis To John Howard Griffin, New York, 9 July 1970 & 24 Jan. 1973, 1 a.l.s., 1 t.l.s. (with carbon
Box 15 Folder 517
Williams, Jonathan To John Howard Griffin, [v.p.], 16 Aug. 1970 - 23 Nov. 1976, 2 t.l.s., 1 t.p.c.s.
Box 15 Folder 518
Carruth, Hayden To John Howard Griffin, Johnson, VT, 10-29 July 1970, 2 t.l.s., 1 t.p.c.s. (with related material
Box 15 Folder 519
Williams, Emmett To John Howard Griffin, Los Angeles, CA, [n.d.], 1 page t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 520
Niedecker, Lorine To John Howard Griffin, Fort Atkinson, WI, 20 July 1970, 1 page t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 521
Brigham, Besmilr To John Howard Griffin, Fort Worth, TX, 8 Aug. 1970, 1 page t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 522
Barnes, Thomas Charles To John Howard Griffin, Pittsburgh, PA, 11 Feb. 1969 & 4 Feb. 1970, 2 t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 523
Edson, Russell To John Howard Griffin, Stamford, CT, 10 & 30 July 1970, 1 t.l.s., 1 t.p.c.s. (with carbon
Box 15 Folder 524
Jones, Gracie M. To John Howard Griffin, [n.p.], [n.d.] & 11 Nov. [n.y.], 2 a.l.s. (with article
Box 15 Folder 525
Hentoff, Nat To John Howard Griffin, New York, 8 July 1970, 1 a.n.s. (On Griffin t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 526
Roberts, Helm To John Howard Griffin, Lexington, KY, 10 & 24 Dec. 1969, 1 a.l.s., 1 t.l.s.
[Re. photographs and Niles-Merton concerto
Box 15 Folder 527
Davenport, Guy To John Howard Griffin, Lexington, KY, 16 July 1970, 2 page t.l.s. (with carbon
Box 15 Folder 528
Paitnik, Debra To John Howard Griffin, Louisville, KY, 13 Sept. 1977 - 24 Aug. 1979, 4 t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 529
Greene, Jonathan To John Howard Griffin, Lexington, KY, 22 Nov. 1970, 1 page t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 530
Seitz, Ron To John Howard Griffin, Louisville, KY, 27 March 1979, 4 page t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 531
Pennington, Basil To John Howard Griffin, Spencer, MA, 7 Aug. 1971, 1 page t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 532
Zahn, Gordon C. To John Howard Griffin, Boston, MA, 6 Aug. 1970, 1 page a.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 533
Forest, Jim To John Howard Griffin, Holland & New York, 11 Dec. 1970 - 29 July 1980, 3 t.l.s., 1 a.p.c.s.
Box 15 Folder 534
Eliasoph, Paula To John Howard Griffin, Jamaica, NY, 28 July 1970 - 12 Jan. 1971, 7 a.l.s. (with related material
Box 15 Folder 535
Dana, Doris To John Howard Griffin, NY, 26 Oct. 1966 - 26 Dec. 1973, 2 a.l.s., 2 t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 536
Olmstead, Beatrice To John Howard Griffin, VT, 18 & 25 July 1970, 2 t.l.s. (with carbon
Box 15 Folder 537
Bissey, Dom Colomban To John Howard Griffin, France, 25 May & 27 Sept. 1976, 2 a.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 538
Devereux, Don To John Howard Griffin, NM, 2 & 26 July 1970, 2 t.l.s. (with carbons
Box 15 Folder 539
Kelley, Kitty To John Howard Griffin, Santa Barbara, CA, 27 July 1970, 1 page t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 540
Hoyt, Robert G. To John Howard Griffin, Kansas City, MO, 30 July 1970, 1 page t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 541
Dickey, W. Terrell To John Howard Griffin, Louisville, KY, 28 may 1970, 1 page t.l.s. (with carbon
Box 15 Folder 542
Winandy, Dom Jacques To John Howard Griffin, Canada, 30 July 1970 - 9 March 1971, 1 a.l.s., 2 t.l.s. (with copy
Box 15 Folder 543
Sullivan, Sister Bede To John Howard Griffin, Victoria, B.C., 29 July 1976, 2 page t.l.s. (with carbon
Box 15 Folder 544
Michael, Sister Elaine To John Howard Griffin, Allegany, NY, 3 Sept. 1970, 1 page t.l.s., 10 page t.ms.
Box 15 Folder 545
Correspondence between John Howard Griffin and various monks, priests, and nuns from around the world regarding Thomas Merton, [v.p.],, 1969/1970, 26 items
Box 15 Folder 546
Oberlin College Newman Apostolate To John Howard Griffin re. Thomas Merton Festival, Elyria, OH,, 23 June 1972, 1 page t.l.s. (with carbons
Box 15 Folder 547
Correspondence between John Howard Griffin and various unidentified Catholic men and women regarding Thomas Merton, [v.p.],, 1968-1971, ca. 35 items
Box 15 Folder 548
Thomas Merton Society of Australia To John Howard Griffin, Victoria, 14 Dec. 1976, 1 page t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 549
National Association For Pastoral Renewal To John Howard Griffin, CT & MO,, 1971, 1 t.l.s., 1 a.l.s. (with carbon
Box 15 Folder 550
Thomas Merton Center, Canada To John Howard Griffin, Magog, Que., 24 Nov. 1969, 1 page t.l.s. (with related carbons
Box 15 Folder 551
Ananda Meditation Retreat To John Howard Griffin, Nevada City, CA, [n.d.] & 1 Aug. 1970, 1 a.l.s., 1 t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 552
Merton Unity Center To John Howard Griffin, Isla Vista, CA, 9 Sept. 1974, 1 page t.l.s. (with related material
Box 15 Folder 553
Letters to John Howard Griffin from various contributors to Monk's Pond, [v.p.], 1970, 12 t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 554
University Press of Kentucky To Elizabeth Griffin-Bonazzi regarding Monk's Pond, 30 May 1989, 1 page, t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 555
Thomas Merton Study Center To Elizabeth Griffin & Robert Bonazzi, Louisville, KY,, 12 Jan. 1982 - 10 Nov. 1983, 3 t.l.s.
Box 15 Folder 556
International Thomas Merton Society To Robert Bonazzi & Elizabeth Griffin, Houston, TX,, 17 March - 14 July 1989, 1 a.n.s., 2 t.l.s., 1 t.p.c.s. (with related material