Blurb
Katharina Luther: Nun, Rebel, Wife
On 31st October 1517, Martin Luther pinned ninety-five theses on the Castle Church door, Wittenberg,
criticising the Church of Rome; they were printed and published by Lucas Cranach and caused a storm. Nine young nuns, intoxicated by Luther’s subversive writings, became restless and longed to leave their convent. On Good Friday 1523 a haulier smuggled them out hidden in empty herring barrels. Five of them settled in Wittenberg, the very eye of the storm, and one of them – Katharina von Bora – scandalised the world by marrying the revolutionary former monk. Following a near miscarriage, she is confined to her bed to await the birth of their first child; during this time, she sets down her own story. Against a backdrop of 16th Century Europe this vivid account of Katharina von Bora’s early life brings to the spotlight this spirited and courageous woman.
Purchase from Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katharina-Luther-Nun-Rebel-Wife-ebook/dp/B01J95GP8W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1473953274&sr=1-1&keywords=anne+boileau
About the author: Anne Boileau (also known as Polly Clarke) lives in Essex. She studied German in Munich and worked as interpreter and translator before turning to language-teaching in England. She also holds a degree in Conservation and Land Management from Anglia University and has written and given talks on various aspects of conservation. Now she shares, writes and enjoys poetry; her work has appeared in a number of anthologies and magazines; she has also won some awards, including First Prize with Grey Hen Press, 2016. She translates modern German poetry into English with Camden Mews Translators and was Chair of Suffolk Poetry Society from 2011 to 2014.
Published By: Clink Street Publishing
Publication Date: 4th October 2016
I.S.B.N: 978-1911110613
Format: Paperback
Price: £8.99
My Review
Katharina von Bora was born into a good family fallen on hard times, living in castle with holes in the roof and a filled in moat. After her mother dies, her father remarries. His new wife is a wealthy woman who sets about putting the house and family in order. She cannot put Kathchen in order, unfortunately, so has her sent to the convent school at Nimbschen, where her mother’s cousin is Abbess and her father’s sister is a nun. At the age of 15, Katharina takes her vows as a Bride of Christ.
In 1517 Dr Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg. Not long after his September Bible made its way into the nunnery at Nimbschen. Katharina and her friends become restless in the confines of the nunnery. Eventually, in 1523, nine nuns escape in empty salt herring barrels. Four return to their families, while the remaining five make their way to Dr Luther’s Black Cloister in Wittenburg. From there, three get married or go into teaching, leaving Katharina and her closest friend Ave alone.
They move in with the painter Lucas Cranach and his wife Barbara, their three young children, a houseful of apprentices and servants, as house daughters. Ave starts work in the apothecary while Katharina helps Barbara with the house and garden, and tutors the Cranach children.
Ave falls in love with Basillius Axt, the son and apprentice of the apothecary. Dr Luther falls in love with her. With Katharina’s help, Ave makes her choice and leaves Kathe to consider her own future.
I really enjoyed this book. It brought late fifteenth-early sixteenth century Germany to life, especially the years Katharina von Bora spent as a nun, the turbulence of the Reformation and the changes to the world it brought about. Kathe’s voice is clear as she tells her story, and breathes life into it.
4/5
Everything Is Better With Dragons 