Best known today as a fine composer; the twelfth-century German abbess Hildegard of Bingen was also a religious leader and visionary; a poet; naturalist and writer of medical treatises. Despite her cloistered life she had strong; often controversial views on sex; love and marriage too - a woman astonishing in her own age; whose book of apocalyptic visions; Scivias; would alone have been enough to ensure her lasting fame. In this classic and highly praised biography - first published by Headline in 2001 - distinguished writer and journalist; Fiona Maddocks; draws on Hildegard's prolific writings to paint a portrait of her extraordinary life against the turbulent medieval background of crusade and schism; scientific discovery and cultural revolution. The great intellectual gifts and forceful character that emerge make her as fascinating as any figure in the Middle Ages. More than 800 years after her death; Pope Benedict XVI has made Hildegard a Saint and a Doctor of the Church (one of only four women). Fiona Maddocks has provided a short new preface to cover these tributes to an extraordinary and exceptional woman.
#712689 in Books Bantam 2010-03-16 2010-03-16Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.51 x 1.11 x 6.45l; 1.45 #File Name: 0553807560384 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Fantastic story of the liberators of concentration campsBy L. S. ReedThe greatest generation had to fight its way through the Normandy hedgerows; the rivers of Lorraine; and the Ardennes campaign. Then; the following spring; as the Nazi resistance was collapsing; they had to face a totally new horror -- the liberation of the concentration camps throughout Germany; Austria; and the rest of liberated Europe.The book is well written and is based on hundreds of interviews with GI's; a few of whom were held in concentration camps or POW camps; most of whom played some role in liberating one or more camps.The stories they tell are horrifying. They're authentic memories from officers and foot soldiers; not trained psychologists. The book tells the story of the liberation and the immediate aftermath; when inmates welcomed their liberators and in some cases took revenge on the few guards who hadn't fled as Allied armies approached.It also tells the story of the reaction of Allied generals; including Eisenhower; Bradley; and Patton. The story of Eisenhower's tour of one camp is especially moving as he painstakingly checked out every corner of the camp; making sure he took in every detail so that he could be an informed witness in the future if others charged that the Holocaust was "made up."One thing that increased the horror is that none of the GI's were prepared for what they saw. There is some debate about how much the Allied high command knew; but there can be no doubt that these GI's and officers were taken totally by surprise.WWII veterans were famously eager to get on with their lives once they returned home and famously reticent about their combat experiences. When I was young; every adult male I knew had been in the armed services during WWII; yet I don't remember hearing a single "war story" in all the years I was growing up. This book gives ample reason for why that might have been. The weight these young men must have carried the rest of their lives is almost inconceivable.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Indelible memoriesBy gbmillionThe soldiers who marched into concentration camps on German soil all shared similar reactions: the unforgettable smell on the approach to the camps and the shock at seeing maltreatment on such a vast scale. None of the soldiers was prepared for the sights that greeted them on entering the camps. They were all battle hardened soldiers. They had seen people burnt; shot and blown to bits. But it didn't prepare them for the enormity of the camps.Many of the soldiers tell stories of how they merely stood by when inmates took revenge on their former captors. One soldier recalls that an inmate asked him for a weapon. Another tells of how he watched a group of inmates bludgeoning a guard to death with a bicycle. No one intervened.The most profound chapter is the final one. Here the veterans; all in the eighties and nineties; discuss how they feel now about their memories of more than sixty years ago. All of them are still traumatized to one degree or another. Many of them only spent an hour or two in the camps before moving on to chase the enemy. But those few hours left the most indelible impressions.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Well-ResearchedBy Sandra CampbellThis is an excellent; well-researched book on this topic. The author went to great lengths to detail and explain what was seen and felt. It would be very worthwhile reading for anyone interested in this period and these events of this history.
