Pico Iyer’s new book ‘Aflame,’ out in January next year, to explore the power of silence

In Aflame: Learning from Silence, Iyer reflects on the power of retreat both as a physical departure from the cacophony of modern life and as a metaphorical journey inward. His retreats enable him to reconnect with what he calls ‘deeper truths” that we often lose sight of in the hustle of daily life. These truths, Iyer argues, are not bound by religion, culture, or creed; they transcend the noise of the world and offer a rare sense of clarity and peace.

Stillness as a means of understanding the world

For Iyer, these moments of reflection have been anything but passive. Over the years, he has gone through a set of personal tragedies: the loss of his home to a fire, the death of a parent, and the heart-wrenching news of his daughter being diagnosed for cancer. Through it all, his retreats to the hermitage have helped him stay calm. These silent sojourns, far from being an escape, have provided him with the tools to process grief, accept change, and find joy in adversity.

Iyer is no stranger to solitude. His writings have long underlined the importance of stepping away from the relentless pace of the world to find meaning in stillness. However, in Aflame, he takes this notion further by exploring how silence, when embraced fully, can serve as a training ground for community and companionship. It’s a paradoxical idea: that in retreating from the world, we become better equipped to engage with it. Through silence, we learn to listen — not only to ourselves but to others. Iyer shows how time spent alone can deepen our connections with the people around us.

Iyer weaves together his personal experiences with the wisdom of others who have also sought meaning through silence. Drawing from his visits with the poet Leonard Cohen during his time as a Zen monk, Iyer finds parallels between Cohen’s adoption of quietude and his own. Similarly, Iyer recounts his meetings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a figure who has shaped his understanding of inner peace. The book also introduces readers to an extraordinary woman — once the abbess of a Zen centre in California — whose life is a testament to the power of introspection.

Aflame is also a study of how silence has influenced some of history’s most insightful thinkers. From American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau’s solitary retreat at Walden Pond to the existential reflections of Albert Camus, Iyer finds common ground in the ways these writers sought stillness as a means of understanding themselves and the world. He also references writers like Henry Miller and Etty Hillesum, both of whom found clarity in the quiet moments of their lives. Through these examples, Iyer builds a case for the universality of silence and its ability to nourish the soul, regardless of one’s background or beliefs.

Clarity and joy found in silence

Iyer makes it clear that the benefits of retreat and reflection are available to everyone irrespective of faith or philosophy. In fact, Iyer himself is not a Christian, yet he has found immense value in the rituals and practices of the Benedictine monks he has spent so much time with. This openness to different traditions is a hallmark of Iyer’s work; he approaches each experience with a sense of wonder and humility, always seeking to learn from those who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of inner peace.

In a note accompanying the announcement of Aflame, Iyer captures the essence of his latest work: “I have never seen the world so distracted, so divided and in such a hurry as it is right now. My friends seem to be crying out for the time and space to process everything, to recollect their deepest selves — to be good friends — but the world is moving too fast and too furiously for them to do so.” This observation feels particularly resonant in today’s frenetic world, where the constant barrage of information and demands on our attention leave little room for reflection.

Iyer argues that silence offers a reprieve from the chaos of modern life, allowing us to reconnect with ourselves and those around us. In Aflame, he seeks to share the clarity and joy that he has found in silence, hoping that readers will be inspired to carve out their own moments of stillness. The book is aimed at urging readers to reconsider their relationship with time, space, and attention. The message he will try to drive home is: the answers we seek are not out there in the noise but within us — waiting to be discovered — that we too often overlook.