Hildegard of Bingen: The Woman of Her Age

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Description

Hildegard of Bingen was a medieval German nun - a religious leader and poet, visionary and naturalist, a writer of medical treatises and best known as one of the finest composers of her time. Despite a lifetime spent cloistered, Hildegard had rigorous, often controversial view on sex, love and marriage, medicine and music. Her prolific writings and letters make this a fascinating insight into her life during the turbulent Middle Ages.

Reviews

This is history as it ought to be written - with clarity, authority and wit. Hildegard is an intriguing subject and Fiona Maddocks brings her vividly to life. - Terry Jones

,... spirited, readable biography... there is no better introduction to this mother superior of the millennium' - Sunday Telegraph

If Hildegard is to avoid being lost again once fashions change, much of the credit will be down to this book - Independent

Maddocks's is a pragmatist's account, continually emerging out of a tangle of opinion with an argument resonating with wit and fairness... Maddocks's is a wonderful, subtle portrait, which lets the subject emerge half out of the shadows, without pouring conclusions and diagnoses on her head - Observer

Meticulously researched and the subjct brought to life through close and unfussy interpretations of Hildegard's own writings - TLS

Author Bio

Fiona Maddocks was the editor of the award-winning BBC Music Magazine 1992-97 and is currently the chief music reviewer of the Observer.