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
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Speakers

Claire Gilbert

Claire Gilbert grew up in London, of Jewish, Scots, Spanish and English heritage. 

Claire has worked extensively in public ethics, specialising in medical ethics and environmental ethics. A theologian by background, she emphasises the spiritual dimension of ethics in her writing and lecturing.

Claire was Research Fellow at the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics, King’s College, London, then National Policy Adviser to the Church of England on medical ethics and environmental ethics. She founded a charity, the Ethics Academy, and was a lay canon of St Paul’s Cathedral where she co-founded St Paul’s Institute for ethics in finance and business. She was a visiting Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge. She was the Founder Director of Westminster Abbey Institute for ethics in public life but has since stood down from this role to focus on her work as a full time author, public speaker, retreat leader, consultant and mentor.

Claire’s doctorate is on Julian of Norwich and ecological consciousness.

Hetta Howes

Dr Hetta Howes is a Lecturer in Medieval Literature at City University of London and a BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker. Her book Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife paints a portrait of the world in which medieval women lived, and the ways in which their lives speak to us in the present.

Speakers

Mark Oakley
Malcolm Guite
Francis Spufford
Claire Gilbert
Hetta Howes
Wed 22 Mar @ 12:13
RT @Aitken2JamesThe @ChurchTimes @faithlitfest in February was very enriching. It has since been made all the better by winning… https://t.co/Z30eyI5WLO