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Margery Kempe
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The Book Of Margery Kempe Paperback – 31 October 1985

by Margery Kempe (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 230
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The story of the eventful and controversial life of Margery Kempe - wife, mother, businesswoman, pilgrim and visionary - is the earliest surviving autobiography in English. Here Kempe (c.1373-c.1440) recounts in vivid, unembarrassed detail the madness that followed the birth of the first of her fourteen children, the failure of her brewery business, her dramatic call to the spiritual life, her visions and uncontrollable tears, the struggle to convert her husband to a vow of chastity and her pilgrimages to Europe and the Holy Land. Margery Kempe could not read or write, and dictated her remarkable story late in life. It remains an extraordinary record of human faith and a portrait of a medieval woman of unforgettable character and courage.
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  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin
  4. Publication date
    31 October 1985
  5. Dimensions
    19.8 x 12.9 x 2.31 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0140432515
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0140432510
  8. See all details
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About the Author

Margery Kempe, born c.1373, was of a well-to-do middle-class family from King's Lynn in Norfolk. Married at twenty, she had a vision of Christ in her madness following her first childbirth, and after early failures as a businesswoman, felt herself called to the spiritual life. At about the age of fourty, after she had born fourteen children, she persuaded her husband to a vow of chastity and began a pilgrimage across England, Europe and the Holy Land. She was a controversial figure and was often nearly burnt at the stake as a heretic. Towards the end of her life she dictated an account of her travels and visions, which was discovered in 1934. It is the earliest example of an autobiography in English.

B. A. Windeatt is Fellow and Director of Studies in English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Reader in Medieval Literature in the University of Cambridge.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin; 1st edition (31 October 1985)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140432515
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140432510
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.31 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 230

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Margery Kempe

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4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
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Top reviews from Australia

Giovanna
5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and homely insights of God
Reviewed in Australia on 14 September 2020
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A very interesting and unconventional life story of an amazing and unique woman who loved God above all else. She was willing to endure a lot of suffering and misunderstanding for the love of God. It’s beautiful.
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Fr. Neville
4.0 out of 5 stars she writes very much as "the fool" found in Russian ...
Reviewed in Australia on 14 December 2014
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she writes very much as "the fool" found in Russian mystics...odd to us but then, that is our fault.
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Jennifer J. Perion
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in the United States on 25 January 2024
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This book may not be for the casual reader looking for an easy read. But for those of you willing to put the work into reading The Book of Margery Kempe you will be introduced to a truly amazing story of the OG Karen of Medieval England. Because she fancies herself to be a martyr she revels in the abuse that's heaped on her and shares her life in transparent detail. If I were traveling through the Alps with a group and they ditched me in the middle of the night I'd be angry, but Margery is thrilled! She is so invested in her delusions that she repeatedly rebuffs the attempts of officials to save her from herself. This is a book I return to every couple of years and always discover something new and amusing. It's also remarkable to learn about how independent and strong-willed women were allowed to be during this time frame. If you love medieval history this is the book for you!
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Sally T
5.0 out of 5 stars A very unusual and inspiring read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2013
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Margery Kempe lived in Norfoldk and many places she mentions in her book bring back fond memories. For instance, the church of St Margaret, Kings Lynne, Norwich itself etc. I did not know about her but I knew about Julian of Norwich, it is strange but I always thought of Norfolk as the most religious place in England and I lived there for a number of years. Margery Kempe was an unusual woman for the age in which she lived. She travelled to the Holy Land, Compostela and round about England. She was very independent and was allowed to do what she pleased by her husband, even refusing him his conjugal rights. In short, when you read the book, all your conceptions about medieval women are turned upside down. And this is only the beginning. She has to be admired for her courage which came because of her strong faith. As everyone is aware, her behaviour was, to most clerics, outlandish at best, and deserving of the pyre for claiming to be in direct touch with heaven. Joan of Arc didn't get away so easily, wasn't the same Bedford around at the time? I loved her simple prayers especially when she asks Jesus to forgive her for her failings just as he forgave Peter and Mary Magdalen. Yes, I could go on but there is a lot to read between the lines and this makes the book a fascinating read all round. One point I wish to make - the front cover is not what is advertised, it's the Annunciation but I visited the Burrell Museum so it's acceptable too.
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Lloyd Ezra Fortune
5.0 out of 5 stars The First Person - as it should be
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 May 2018
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An attractive take on Margery's challenging 15th Century read - in that JS alters MK's stylised, self-effacing references to herself as 'she' and 'this creature' to 'I' and 'me'. So it comes over more readily as a proper autobiography.

And he takes a free and easy approach with the style, making it incredibly readable. It flows very naturally without jarring or seeming forced modern. I heartily commend this edition as a very accessible entre into Margery's fascinating world of medieval pilgrimage, brave misogynist confrontations, and charismatic expressions.
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K. Herold
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Historical Outline for the Times
Reviewed in the United States on 18 May 2010
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Although I lived in Europe for several years, I had not read this book; now I wish I had known about Margery Kempe, and done some research. Dictated by a woman who could not read or write, she was very detailed about her experiences, and I learned quite a bit about the thinking processes, beliefs, and lifestyle of the period. Thoroughly enjoyable, I find it remarkable that it is not on more required reading lists in America. It offers a view not shared by many religious individuals: her crying, wailing, and writhing on the floors of cathedrals and holy places would make her appear unstable, as believed by her peers. However, her conversations with Holy Beings caused beliefs in some. How true to fact is her story? Only the believer, or wannabe believer, can answer that, but the truth is she was a remarkable woman for her time, achieved her goals - if she is believed.
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Michael
4.0 out of 5 stars Primary Source Material
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 June 2017
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Here's a primary source for those interested in the fifteenth century. (And it's probably one of the earliest memoirs written by a woman for those of feminist leanings.) Try as I might I could never see any spiritual significance here, however. Margery's too hysterical and too interested in the impact she makes to ring true. She's sometimes described as a mystic, but I think the commentator - I forget who - who called her a "would-be mystic" was closer to the mark. (She's nevertheless remembered in the Church of England's Calendar (9th November) - it's not clear why.)

Margery was a contemporary of Julian of Norwich, whom she visited, but while Julian's words seem touched by fire, I don't really know what Margery can tell us - other than that she wants to be noticed. And this is obviously why she walks around dressed in white - to the annoyance of other women who perceive that there's some kind of claim being made here and call for her to be burnt as a heretic as she walks down the road.

Margery calls on the Archbishop of York. And this is brave - he could have had her burnt alive. I'm afraid churchmen did think that a proper way to deal with heretics in those days (even Meister Eckhardt, the great Dominican theologian, was fortunate not to end his days at the stake, and that likely would have happened had he not died in custody, probably from the exhausting effects of his long journey to Avignon at an advanced age to face charges of heresy). But one feels the bishop's conscience would have constrained him to "play fair" (if only because he would have thought the Almighty would treat him as roughly if he did not.) Margery is canny enough to avoid any traps in conversation, and in my view is not interested in heresy anyway. All she wants is to be noticed; and one way to that, in that society, is to go and tweak the bishop's tail, a dangerous game.

Margery does report a vision. Does that make her a "mystic"? And if so, are there distinctions to be made between different sorts of mysticism? I think she's told what she wants to hear in the vision. Traditionally, there was always concern around such experiences. It was thought that they might be genuine, but that they could also be delusion - coming from a person's own disordered psyche ... or perhaps from somewhere worse. Knowing the difference is what is meant by "discernment". There are some traditional "rules of thumb" for this, but mostly it seems to be about experience. After the vision, Margery does rush out and consult a hermit. He seems rather excited by her experience and over-credulous and perhaps did her no favours by this attitude.

Margery is wont to disobey her confessors, and this has traditionally been taken to be a bad sign. The confessor/spiritual father - or in Eastern Christianity the spiritual guide (elder, geronta, staretz), not necessarily a confessor, and there not necessarily ordained either but recognised by the laity for what he or she is - has spiritual authority and should be listened to. In the Desert Fathers there's a saying that one should take advice even from an unbeliever rather than rely on oneself. ...
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