Poet, Mystic Widow Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Woman
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the writings of Julian of Norwich still bring comfort to those who read them, hundreds of years later. But although her book survives, we know frustratingly little about Julian herself, a medieval holy woman who chose to shut herself away in a solitary cell. So, who was Julian?
In her novel I, Julian, Claire Gilbert seeks to answer this question by bringing the world of this medieval anchoress to vivid life. In Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women, Hetta Howes considers Julian's life alongside those of other medieval women writers, many of whom were also religious, in order to piece together a picture of who she was. In writing these books, both Gilbert and Howes discovered more than they bargained for - not only about Julian, but about themselves
Chaired by Rachel Mann
10:00 Saturday 1 March 2025