Book cover of Markings

Book description

"Perhaps the greatest testament of personal devotion published in this century." — The New York Times 

A powerful journal of poems and spiritual meditations recorded over several decades by a universally known and admired peacemaker. A dramatic account of spiritual struggle, Markings has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers since…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked Markings as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Dag Hammarskjöld was the second Secretary General of the United Nations, from 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1961. He was widely admired as an outstanding man of action on the international scene and a peacemaker. (He is the only posthumous recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.) After his death, a manuscript of his secret, intimate diary was discovered – a diary of the soul. It was first published in 1964 and was a revelation for thousands of readers around the world. I first read it in a Polish translation (when I was still living in Poland,…

This book is about Dag Hammarsjold's, former Secretary General of the United Nations, spiritual quest for finding Something or Someone where he can ground himself.

I read this as a college student and it influenced me to become more reflective about my own spiritual journey and to be authentic about this journey. This is a man I would have liked to have known.

Markings consists of profound thoughts, quotes, and poems of the Swedish economist and diplomat who served as the second Secretary-General of the United Nations. Hammarskjöld was a successful man yet his reflections in the book depict that if success is not motivated by a higher purpose it can’t provide genuine fulfillment. I enjoy the fact that the passages in the book are contemplative and can be read during quiet hours to ponder over.

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