The Letters of Abelard and Heloise

By: Peter Abelard, Heloise

Narrated by: Gunnar Cauthery, Alison Pettitt, David Rintoul

The Letters of Abelard and Heloise is one of the most extraordinary correspondences in European history. Written in the 12th century, the letters document the love affair between Peter Abelard, a revolutionary philosopher and biblical scholar, and his beautiful and precocious student, Heloise. Eviscerated by his religious opponents and castrated by Heloise’s family, Abelard is haunted by ill fortune, and the star-crossed lovers are forced into separate lives, as monk and nun respectively, with letters being their only form of communication. What unfolds is tragic and heartbreaking, but also fascinating. The letters gave rise to compelling philosophical, theological, and sociological discussions, and they provide a window into the medieval mind as the everyday lives of the two lovers are laid bare through their passionate discourse.

Translation by William Levitan.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2018 Naxos AudioBooks

Abelard and Heloise...

As expected (being written in the 12th century and the circumstances) there's a LOT of religious subjects and theological discussions between Abelard and Heloise that are a bit heavy and difficult to follow at times. Even so, what's truly remarkable is their intellectual minds and the unbelievable capacity to be able to carry on with their lives when faced with tremendous adversity and extremely difficult events.

There's an excellent book called "Heloise & Abelard: A New Biography" written by James Burge (only in paper format) which is a great addition to this audio book (if still interested in this subject). James Burge takes the most significant events in Heloise's and Abelard's lives and dissects them wonderfully while adding relevant historical details that positions the reader right into the contemporaneous events.

A classic about two vibrant souls and minds

A classic for all time, beautifully performed, about two vibrant souls and minds. Well worth the listening.

Lovely

The unity of love and divinity, in letters, was a wonderful lesson of human achievement.

just could not get into it

I just could not get into this story. At no point was I captivated or entertained by the story or the narrator. It actually was a book to fall asleep to