The Writings of Christine de Pizan

Christine de Pizan, France’s first woman of letters, is widely known for her classic Book of the City of Ladies (Persea, 1982), but very few of her many other distinguished works have been translated into English. The Writings of Christine de Pizan offers lengthy excerpts of nearly all of Christine’s works, in authoritative and gracious translations. Among the writings are Christine’s autobiography; lyric and allegorical poetry; the official biography of King Charles V; writings on women, warfare, politics, love, and the human condition; writings from the famous Quarrel of the Rose; The Book of the City of Ladies; The Treasury of the City of Ladies; The Book of the Duke of True Lovers; and Christine’s triumphant poem on Joan of Arc. Edited and with an introduction by the foremost authority on Christine’s work, Charity Cannon Willard, who sets the writings in historical, biographical, and literary context.