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.

About the Author:

Pico Iyer is the acclaimed and bestselling author of more than a dozen books translated into twenty-three languages, most recently the nationally bestselling The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise, which was named a New York Times Top 100 book and a Time magazine best book of 2023. His journalism regularly appears in The New York Times, The Financial Times, Harper’s and more than 250 other periodicals worldwide. His four TED Talks have received more than eleven million views. He divides his time between Western Japan and the Central Coast of California.

About the Moderator:

Anderson Tepper is City of Asylum’s Curator of World Literature. He has been a guest curator of PEN America’s World Voices Festival and is a longstanding member of the international committee of the Brooklyn Book Festival. He writes on books and authors for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and World Literature Today. Anderson also serves on the City of Asylum Advisory Board.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant Cucina Alfabeto is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but a cash wine bar will be available.