Our next discussion book Pope Joan takes us into the 9th century world where
there is danger from Vikings and Saracens, the plague, warfare, political
power struggles, and palace intrigue for political favors. It comes
from the imagination of author Donna Woolfolk Cross, who took the
controversial figure in history, Pope Joan, and brought her to imagined life. She
invites us to imagine: What if? What if the legend has basis in facts?
The illustration on the upper left is from a 1403 French manuscript, a translation
of De Claris mulieribus. The illustration on the upper right if from a 15th century
Laurent de Premierfait translation of Boccaccio's De Casibus: Des Cas des
nobles hommes et femmes.
To the right, the image from the Rider-Waite tarot deck, the original card name
La Papesse (the Popess) was changed to The High Priestess.
Pope Joan: A Novel has been translated into 36 languages. The author spent 7 years on research. Diane Sawyer presented The Mystery of Pope Joan as an ABC News Special on September 18, 2006. This program is available for purchase through Amazon for 19.95. I couldn't
find it available as an inter-library loan. IF anyone has access to this - let me know!