The Book of Margery Kempe

The first autobiography in the English language—a raw, honest, and deeply spiritual account by Margery Kempe, a medieval mystic, wife, mother, and pilgrim whose visions, tears, and unconventional spiritual life challenged the religious conventions of 15th-century England.

Margery Kempe (c. 1373-1438) was an illiterate English woman who dictated her remarkable life story to scribes, creating what scholars recognize as the first autobiography in English. A merchant's wife and mother of fourteen children, Margery experienced a profound spiritual conversion after a difficult childbirth and mental breakdown. What followed was a life of mystical visions, pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Rome, public weeping, conflicts with church authorities, and an uncompromising pursuit of direct relationship with God.

What you'll discover:

• Margery's vivid mystical visions and conversations with Christ
• Her struggles with mental illness, sexuality, and spiritual calling
• Pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de Compostela, and beyond
• Conflicts with priests, bishops, and accusations of heresy
• Her "gift of tears"—uncontrollable weeping during religious experiences
• Negotiations with her husband for a celibate marriage
• A woman's voice claiming spiritual authority in a patriarchal church
• Raw honesty about doubt, fear, vanity, and the messy reality of spiritual life

What makes this book extraordinary is Margery's unflinching honesty. She doesn't present herself as a perfect saint but as a real woman struggling with vanity, sexual desire, doubt, and the overwhelming intensity of her spiritual experiences. Her loud public weeping embarrassed and annoyed those around her, she was accused of heresy multiple times, and she fought constantly with church authorities who questioned her visions. Yet she persisted in claiming direct access to God, insisting that her experiences were authentic even when others dismissed or condemned her.

Margery stands in the tradition of medieval women mystics like Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen, and Catherine of Siena, but her voice is uniquely earthy and unpolished. She writes about negotiating with her husband for sexual abstinence, her struggles with pride about her white clothing, her fear during accusations of Lollardy, and her conversations with Christ that are intimate, tender, and sometimes startling in their directness.

This Oxford World's Classics edition presents a modern English translation that makes Margery's voice accessible while preserving its distinctive character, along with an introduction and notes that illuminate the historical, religious, and literary context of this remarkable work.

Perfect for: Students of medieval literature and women's history, readers interested in Christian mysticism and women mystics, those drawn to spiritual autobiography and memoir, students of medieval religious life and pilgrimage, readers of Julian of Norwich and medieval spirituality, anyone interested in mental health and spirituality, those seeking honest accounts of spiritual struggle rather than sanitized hagiography, and readers who appreciate voices that challenge religious and social conventions.

This paperback edition presents Margery Kempe's groundbreaking autobiography—a raw, honest, and deeply human account of mystical experience, spiritual struggle, and a medieval woman's claim to religious authority.