Julian's Gospel Paperback

Overview

Catholic Press Association Book Award Winner
Association of Catholic Publishers Award: Biography
Nautilus GOLD Book Award in Religion/Spirituality: Western Traditions
National Indie Excellence Book Awards: Religion

 “Certainly one of the best books on Julian of Norwich I've ever read. With a vast amount of research and a great deal of passion, Veronica Mary Rolf successfully recreates the world of the great mystic, provides careful explanations of Julian's rich experiences in prayer, and, overall, paints a convincing portrait of one of the most remarkable women ever to have lived--and believed.”-- James Martin, S.J., author, My Life with the Saints

"A vivid and readable account . . . the prizes that [Rolf's] volume has garnered to date indicate that it has already been well received as a popular introduction to the medieval anchoress and her work." - The London Times Literary Supplement (01/09/2015)

Julian of Norwich, a medieval English mystic who spent the latter part of her life as an enclosed anchoress, is largely known through her extraordinary Revelations, one of the most popular and influential works of Christian mysticism. It was also the first book ever written by a woman in the English language. But until now, the woman herself was an elusive figure.

In this fascinating work, Veronica Mary Rolf has offered a convincing reconstruction of Julian’s life in fourteenth-century Norwich, along with a comprehensive chapter-by-chapter commentary on her Revelations—rendered here in a new and faithful translation from the Middle English.

Julian’s Gospel goes in-depth to uncover the political, cultural, social, and religious milieu that formed and deeply influenced her development as a woman and a mystic. Throughout, the book creates a strong dramatic arc for Julian’s Revelations that interweaves her personal sufferings and burning questions with her visionary experiences, producing a compelling spiritual biography. Julian of Norwich comes fully alive in this work, her intense spirituality bearing a message of surprising relevance to our own era.

Veronica Mary Rolf is an independent scholar of medieval studies and comparative literature, educated at Columbia University. She has spent her life in the professional theatre, as a playwright, performer, and artistic director. For over two decades, she trained and directed professional actors as a Master Teacher of Dramatic Arts in New York, London, and Berkeley. Currently, she presents a popular lecture series, Mornings with Julian of Norwich, and writes frequently on her website: www.JuliansVoice.com