Historia Calamitatum
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Historia Calamitatum, also known as Abaelardi ad Amicum Suum Consolatoria, is an autobiographical work in Latin by Pierre Abelard, one of medieval France's most important intellectuals and a pioneer of scholastic philosophy. It is in the form of a letter, and is clearly influenced by Augustine of Hippo's Confessions. The Historia is exceptionally readable, and presents a remarkably honest self-portrait of a man who could be arrogant and often felt persecuted. It provides a clear and fascinating picture of intellectual life in Paris before the formalization of the University, of the intellectual excitement of the period, of monastic life, and of his affair with Heloise, one of history's most famous love stories.
[edit] External links
- English translation of Historia Calamitatum on the Internet Medieval Sourcebook
- Latin text of Historia Calamitatum (webpage of prof. Martin Irvine at Georgetown University)
