I, Julian: The fictional autobiography of Julian of Norwich

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Claire Gilbert considers Julian of Norwich to be the mother of English literature, and believes she should stand alongside Chaucer.

Seeds germinate, sap rises, birdsong erupts, spirit lifts and expands and loves all that is made: it is so very good. Claire Foster-Gilbert inhabits Julian of Norwich in the way that Hilary Mantel immersed herself in Cromwell. Julian’s manuscripts are protected by trusted sisters and are passed from hand to hand, become the first book to be written by a woman in English. I, Julian is a fictionalised autobiography of Dame (or Mother) Julian of Norwich, best described, I would say, as a contemplative lay religious figure – a lay nun, really. Mrs Woolf, wife of the manager, is a very celebrated author and, in her own way, more important than Galsworthy.It is mostly fiction as so little is actually known about Julian but it has been written with great sensitivity and is very believable. In Gilbert’s account, Julian was just a child when she watched her father, a Norwich wool merchant, die in agony from the plague, and when her visions begin she assumes she too is dying of the pestilence – as her husband and daughter have done. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. The tale culminates in Julian succeeding in completion of her chapters on the 14th Revelation: the Lord and the Servant – the latter not sinning by intent, but rushing to obey and accidentally falling; pain is love – God is always merciful if He (or, perhaps, She) receives prayers.

But she does not align with them and she does not allow them to hijack her renown and rapport with the masses.Julian's meditative and other spiritual practices give her insights that almost match those of Buddhism. It meant I knew the text really well; I was secure in my understanding that there was an ecological dimension and that her method is porosity. The cell has windows – one on to the outside world, at which people could seek her counsel, another into the adjacent church – and her daily needs are attended to by her maid Alice.

It is as if we have finally found the lost autobiography of one of the medieval world's most important women . You can unsubscribe from our list at any point by changing your preferences, or contacting us directly. It is a beautiful, intensely moving achievement which not only excites literary admiration: it renews the reader's faith that 'all shall be well'.

It carries a universal message, a system of belief and of living, that is based on the premise of a loving God, and that is in essence optimistic.

Slightly Foxed brings back forgotten voices through its Slightly Foxed and Plain Foxed Editions, a series of beautifully produced little pocket hardback reissues of classic memoirs, all of them absorbing and highly individual. The 14th revelation of the parable of the Lord and Servant is the most intriguing and I think its reinterpretation of the Fall is completely brilliant. Very little that is solid fact is known about her life, but of her existence and writings there is no doubt. From the author of Miles to Go before I Sleep comes I, Julian, the account of a medieval woman who dares to tell her own story, battling grief, plague, the church and societal expectations to do so.You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.