Monodies and On the Relics of Saints

The first Western autobiography since Augustine's <i>Confessions</i> the <i>Monodies</i> is set against the backdrop of the First Crusade and offers stunning insights into medieval society. As Guibert of Nogent intimately recounts his early years monastic life and the bloody uprising at Laon in 1112 we witness a world-and a mind-populated by royals heretics nuns witches and devils and come to understand just how fervently he was preoccupied with sin sexuality the afterlife and the dark arts. Exotic disquieting and illuminating the <i>Monodies</i> is a work in which the dreams fears and superstitions of one man illuminate the psychology of an entire people. It is joined in this volume by <i>On the Relics of Saints</i> a theological manifesto that has never appeared in English until now.<br><br>For more than seventy years Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1700&#160;titles Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the&#160;series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors as well as up-to-date&#160;translations by award-winning translators.