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We have heard a lot about Eleanor of Aquitaine recently, but not from the lady herself. Until now! I should explain that. Years ago I stumbled on Eleanor of Aquitaine and became wildly impressed. Available biographies did not plumb her depth of character, so I decided to write her memoirs, eventually publishing in “her” voice, … Read more
“Why?” a young woman asked me. “Why did you choose to write about Eleanor? And why write her memoirs, rather than biography? Wasn’t it more difficult to write her memoirs?” “Yes,” I agreed. However, Eleanor of Aquitaine stands among those exceptional women whom history knows. I wrote her memoirs because I believed in reaching — … Read more
A young woman asked me during a reading, “Why did you write Eleanor of Aquitaine’s history as a memoir, rather than as a straight historical biography?” The short answer is that there are already plenty of historical biographies. The honest answer is more elaborate, taking work to explain. A “straight” historical biography is as good as its … Read more
Blake Morrison reported in Britain’s “Guardian” newspaper that reading may bring lasting relief (“The reading cure,” The Guardian, January 5, 2008). Reporting an “incredible response” to Morrison’s story, the Reader Organisation “decided to run several one-day ‘bibliotherapy’ workshops.” Similar responses came from all over Britain. Morrison studied a reading group near Liverpool that included an … Read more
“Language is a woman’s weapon. It is the siege engine that knocks down male walls. A woman’s body and her language are twin powers, Aline. Use them to negotiate from strength.” “Therein lies a man’s fear. That his very being lives in awe of women is a secret he dare not disclose, although females know … Read more
Eleanor digresses from time to time to instruct her young secretary on how a woman can win in a man’s world: “There have been times since ancient days when Woman is deified,” Eleanor tells Aline. “She attains a stature worthy of worship. Why our sex should be represented in this fashion used to mystify me. … Read more
Clarendon Palace echoed once with fighting voices raised in argument to reach an English constitution. That included Henry II versus Thomas Becket. Rich in legal arguments and history, Clarendon’s mystical ruin is quiet now, and very still.
Our age condemns inquiry Our age condemnsInquiry beyond faith’s paleAs sin. Memes, In Memoriam Eleanor of AquitaineThe Paris years, 1137-’47 On King Arthur’s myth How myth sustains ghosts!Bury the Sibyl’s adage.Let Arthur be dead. Haiku, In Memory of Eleanor of Aquitaine,On the reach of the Sibyl’s adage Ah, Time… Ah, Time,You thief in the storehouse … Read more
Did you ever serve on a jury? You took your seat among a panel of twelve jurors, then solemnly retired from the courtroom to your jury-room sequestered behind a soundproof door. Then came a shock. Seven jurors reached the verdict. The others counted the hands in the air and voted with the majority. That was … Read more
Old stories I recall his face:But his stories? As mist gone,They are heard no more. Haiku, In Memoriam Eleanor of AquitaineRemembering Bleheris, Bordeaux 1130s Preferring love to marriage Héloïse declares,Preferring “Love to marriage,Liberty to chains.” Haiku, In Memoriam Eleanor of AquitaineThe Paris years