This novel, originally in French as La nuit de béguines, tells the story of a community of religious women in 14th century Paris. It is based on the Beguines, the lay religious order that courted controversy in the later Middle Ages.
Excerpt:
In the area of Paris called the Marais rises a broken tower, at the corner of the rue Charlemagne and the rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul… in the fourteenth century this street had another name: it was called ‘rue des Beguines’…For almost a hundred years in the Middle Ages, a succession of remarkable women lived on this site and in its surroundings. Unclassifiable and hard to categorize, these women had refused both marriage and the nun’s cloister. Here they prayed, worked, studied, and had a haven from which they could roam the town as they pleased, hosting some friends and travelling to visit others, disposing of their wealth as they wished, and even being allowed to bequeath it to their sisters. They had a freedom and independence that women in the Middle Ages had not known before—and would not know again for centuries. At the time, not all of them were aware of how special this freedom was, but some fought hard to preserve it.
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Who is this book for?
This work of historical fiction, which was a bestseller in France, will interest those who like to read about religion and faith in the Middle Ages and medieval women. Largely set in Paris, it could also appeal to those who want to immerse themselves in that city and its history.
The Mirror of Simple Souls
By Aline Kiner
Translated by Susan Emanuel
Pushkin Press
ISBN: 978-1-78227-832-0
This novel, originally in French as La nuit de béguines, tells the story of a community of religious women in 14th century Paris. It is based on the Beguines, the lay religious order that courted controversy in the later Middle Ages.
Excerpt:
In the area of Paris called the Marais rises a broken tower, at the corner of the rue Charlemagne and the rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul… in the fourteenth century this street had another name: it was called ‘rue des Beguines’…For almost a hundred years in the Middle Ages, a succession of remarkable women lived on this site and in its surroundings. Unclassifiable and hard to categorize, these women had refused both marriage and the nun’s cloister. Here they prayed, worked, studied, and had a haven from which they could roam the town as they pleased, hosting some friends and travelling to visit others, disposing of their wealth as they wished, and even being allowed to bequeath it to their sisters. They had a freedom and independence that women in the Middle Ages had not known before—and would not know again for centuries. At the time, not all of them were aware of how special this freedom was, but some fought hard to preserve it.
Who is this book for?
This work of historical fiction, which was a bestseller in France, will interest those who like to read about religion and faith in the Middle Ages and medieval women. Largely set in Paris, it could also appeal to those who want to immerse themselves in that city and its history.
Kiner made use of the research by Tanya Stabler Miller, author of The Beguines of Medieval Paris: Gender, Patronage, and Spiritual Authority – that work would be great to go with the novel.
The author
Aline Kiner was a journalist and author based in Paris. La nuit des béguines, which was published in 2017.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website
You can also buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
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