The ironic typography of the book title’s upper-case lettering, SILENCE ‘shouting’ even louder (see the book cover), is the first clue of a refreshingly different approach to the subject of silence.
It’s a sign of our times that so many books have been written about it. For many of those authors it’s about a pursuit impelled by religious faith, a salve for better mental health or simply a wish to escape the clamour and interruptions of modern life.
Surely few books about silence have been written by authors who made an unwitting discovery of its importance and value, learning by experience why it is important in and of itself.
Erling Kagge became famous for being the first person to conquer the three poles – the North and South Poles and the ascent of Mount Everest. In the process, he explored another ‘pole’, that of human interiority. He writes, “…the most interesting kind of silence is the one that lies within.” In each of those poles an encounter with silence awaited him. It is this which gives the author an unusual authority and an almost unique perspective.
Early on he writes, “Antarctica is the quietest place I’ve ever been… The silence adhered to me.” He explains it was a lone, unsupported adventure, in which the only sounds were the elements and the sounds he made whilst skiing.
He links silence to wonder: listening, attentiveness, joy, music, poetry – and much more. Whilst he weaves in psychology, neuroscience and philosophy (naturally, religion figures too) and quotes musicians, artists and poets, he mostly reflects on how formative those experiences of deep silence at the poles were for him.
How many books on silence mention the inverse cost of silence in the location of the homes of the rich and the poor? (We instinctively know those who enjoy most silence or endure most noise.)
He writes about the need to free oneself from intrusive noise in cities, workplaces and the home. But he is never preachy. His style is unfussy. He concludes: “I had to use my legs to go far away in order to discover [silence], but I now know it is possible to reach silence anywhere. One only need subtract. You have to find your own South Pole.”
Silence in the Age of Noise by Erling Kagge, Penguin Books
© Kit Pearce 26.04.26.