Author Mary Sharratt to discuss her book, Illuminations; A novel of Hildegard von Bingen.

Travel back to the 12^th century to discover the dramatic story of Hildegard von Bingen – visionary abbess, composer, polymath, and powerfrau.  Author Mary Sharratt will read from her new novel Illuminations, based on the Hildegard’s life, on Tuesday, October 23, at 7:00 p.m. at the Northfield Public Library.   Mary will appear in 12^th century costume, discuss Hildegard’s relevance for us today, and will play brief recordings of Hildegard’s ethereal music.    

Hildegard   was offered as a tithe to the Church at the age of eight and expected to live out her days in silent submission as a handmaiden of a renowned but disturbed young nun, Jutta von Sponheim.  When Jutta died three decades later, Hildegard broke out of her prison with the heavenly calling to speak and write about her visions and to liberate her sisters and herself from the soul-destroying anchorage.  Hildegard composed an entire corpus of sacred music and wrote  nine books on subjects as diverse as theology, natural science, and human sexuality – a prodigious intellectual outpouring that was unprecedented for a 12^th century woman.  An outspoken critic of political and ecclesiastical corruption, she courted controversy.

Her ethereal music, as well as her courage and originality of thought, continue to inspire people of diverse faith backgrounds today.  The release of Illuminations this October celebrates Hildgard’s long awaited canonization and elevation to Doctor of the Church.    

Mary Sharratt is a Minnesota author currently living in England.  Raised in Bloomington, Sharratt graduated from the University of Minnesota and is very proud of her Minnesota roots.

Winner of the 2005 Willa Literary Award and a Minnesota Book Award finalist (2005), she is the author of the acclaimed novels Summit Avenue, The Real Minerva, The Vanishing Point, and Daughters of the Witching Hill.