About this item
The heart-rending love story of Abelard and Heloise was one of the most talked about relationships in the Middle Ages, and is one of the greatest love stories of all time. Peter Abelard was arguably the greatest poet, philosopher, and religious teacher in all of twelfth-century Europe. In an age when women were rarely educated, Heloise was his most gifted young student. As master of the cathedral school at Notre Dame in Paris, Abelard was expected to be celibate; his career would be destroyed by marrying. In spite of this, Abelard and Heloise's private tutoring sessions inevitably turned to passionate romance, and their moments apart were spent writing love letters.When Heloise became pregnant, her possessive guardian and uncle, Fulbert, angrily insisted that they marry.
About the Author
JAMES BURGE is an award-winning television director who also writes popular books about the Middle Ages. His interest in Dante dates from a dramatised version of the Divine Comedy which he directed for BBC Television in the nineties, filmed, as he puts it, on location in Hell and Heaven. His acclaimed biography of Heloise and Abelard was published in 2003. He also writes the 'Absolom' historical detective series, articles and reviews for the Literary Review, the Independent on Sunday and History Today. He still makes the odd television program.
