Silence

Object Lessons

Bloomsbury presents Silence by John Biguenet, read by Adam Sims.

Object Lessons is a series of short books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

What is silence? In a series of short meditations, novelist and playwright John Biguenet considers silence as a servant of power, as a lie, as a punishment, as the voice of God, as a terrorist’s final weapon, as a luxury good, as the reason for torture—in short, as an object we both do and do not recognize. Concluding with the prospects for its future in a world burgeoning with noise, Biguenet asks whether we should desire or fear silence—or if it is even ours to choose.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.©2015 John Biguenet (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc