The Letters of Heloise and Abelard

"Heloise and Abelard have been extraordinarily well served by this latest translation of their celebrated correspondence. Every aspect of the book is exemplary, from its comprehensive and unobtrusive annotations, to its enthralling introduction. But the greatest strength of the book is perhaps to undo a lot of the posthumous myth-making surrounding the couple, as its brisk and supple translation allows them to speak openly in their own terms. Thus Heloise clearly emerges with all her fierce passion and fiercer intelligence, while Abelard presents a personality as contradictory as his philosophy, being by turns nostalgic and repentant, combative and humble, caustic and self-pitying. Nonetheless the edition does not restrict itself to these voices alone, but expands their dialogue into a full-blown symposium, including a generous selection of related letters by both hostile and sympathetic parties, such as Peter the Venerable and Bernard of Clairvaux. In sum, this edition is an astonishing scholarly achievement, and will no doubt stand as the authoritative edition for some decades to come." - Ben Parsons, Teaching Fellow in English, University of Leicester, UK