Few women had the luxury of writing down their thoughts and feelings during medieval times. But remarkably, there are at least four who did: Marie de France, a poet; Julian of Norwich, a mystic and anchoress; Christine de Pizan, a widow and court writer; and Margery Kempe, a no-good wife.
Hetta Howes has spent her working life uncovering these women’s stories to give us unique historical and political insight that challenges what we hold to be common knowledge about medieval women in Europe. Her new book, Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife, is an exquisite portrait of the world in which these women lived, told like never before. A spectacular, vivid, groundbreaking work of history, it shows women of the Middle Ages as leaders and innovators, who changed the world around them, even as they faced challenges surprisingly similar to those that women still have to navigate today.
Don't miss the chance to hear Hetta speak about these remarkable women. We think this event will be the perfect accompaniment to a visit to the British Library's upcoming event, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words.
