Selected Writings: A Bilingual Edition

The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Chicago Series

by Margaret of Navarre, Rouben C. Cholakian (Translator), Mary Skemp (Translator)

Marguerite de Navarre (1492–1549) was the sister and wife to kings and a pivotal influence in sixteenth-century France. An astute politician and diligent humanist, she was a champion of gender equality and the evangelical reform movement, which recognized that the clergy was more concerned with maintaining the church’s power than ministering to the faithful. As the years passed and the glitter of life at court waned, however, Marguerite came to realize her true vocation: writing.
            Selected Writings brings together a representative sampling of Marguerite’s varied writings, most of it never before translated into English, enabling Anglophone readers to enjoy the full breadth of her work for the first time. From verse letters and fables to mythological-pastoral tales, from spiritual songs to a selection of novellas from the Heptameron, the wide range of works included here will reveal Marguerite de Navarre to be one of the most important writers—male or female—of sixteenth-century France.
 
 

Genres: Literature, Poetry

435 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2008

About the author

Marguerite de Navarre, also known as Marguerite d'Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was the queen consort of King Henry II of Navarre. As patron of humanists and reformers, and as an author in her own right, she was an outstanding figure of the French Renaissance. Samuel Putnam called her "The First Modern Woman".

Reviews

[Lauryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, I’ll be honest, the first poem in this book was so long and kind of dull...which makes me feel like a sinner because it’s all about analyzing and repenting of one’s sinful soul. 😂😅 But once I got past Miroir de l’âme pécheresse, the rest of the book was an enlightening and inspiring read, and was even a spiritual experience for me at times. The translation on the right side is super helpful, while Marguerite’s original Middle French writings are also fun and demonstrate poetic genius on her part. Big fan of Marguerite, I’m very glad I was able to finish this compilation of her writings.