The Mirror of Simple Souls

This translation from the French original includes an introductory interpretive essay by Edmund Colledge, O.S.A., Judith Grant, and J. C. Marler, and a foreword by Kent Emery, Jr. The translators of this Modern English version rely primarily on the original French manuscript, yet also take medieval translations into account. As a result, this edition offers a reading of The Mirror of Simple Souls that solves a number of difficulties found in the French. The valuable introduction by the translators narrates the archival history of the book, for which Margaret Porette was burned alive in Paris in 1310.


About the Author

Margaret Porette (circa 1248/1250-1310) was a French-speaking mystic and the author of The Mirror of Simple Souls, a work of spirituality dealing with Divine Love. She was burned at the stake for heresy in Paris in 1310 after refusing to recant her views.

Edmund Colledge, O.S.A. (1910-1999), was a priest of the Augustinian Friars in England and professor emeritus, the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies in Toronto.

J. C. Marler is associate professor in the department of philosophy and the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and assistant Vatican film librarian at Saint Louis University.

Judith Grant is a senior research fellow at the University of Auckland and the author of La Passiun de seint Edmund.

Kent Emery, Jr. is Professor Emeritus in the Program of Liberal Studies at the University of Notre Dame.