When most medieval Englishwomen wouldn’t travel more than five miles from home in their lifetime, Margery Kempe left behind her abusive husband and fourteen children to walk from France to Jerusalem and back – in the 1400s! Discover the amazing story of the mysterious “Weeping Mystic” who traveled the world, broke all the rules, and – luckily for us – recorded it all for history!
Returning guest Mary Sharratt, author of the new historical novel Revelations, guides us through the astonishing life of this unexpected, under-appreciated visionary.
image courtesy of the British Library
image courtesy of the British Library
Bodleian Library
public domain
Author Mary Sharratt is on a mission to write women back into history. Originally from Minnesota, Mary now lives in Portugal, near the beautiful medieval town of Obidos on the Silver Coast. Her latest novel Revelations, which will be published in April 2021, is drawn from the colorful life of Margery Kempe, 15th century mystic, intrepid world traveler, and author of the first autobiography in the English language. Her books span women’s history from the medieval visionary Hildegard of Bingen to Elizabethan poet Emilia Lanier to the Pendle Witches. Mary’s articles and essays have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, Publisher’s Weekly, and Historical Novels Review.
Music featured in this episode included
“Ah Robin, Gentle Robin”
Episode 78 Margery Kempe
Dufay’s “Salve Sancte Pater Patriae”
Episode 78 Margery Kempe
“Alleluia; A Nywe Worke”
Episode 78 Margery Kempe
“Ave maris stella”
Episode 78 Margery Kempe
“Yonder Hill and Dale”
Episode 78 Margery Kempe
“Kondja Mia”
Episode 78 Margery Kempe
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