Historia Calamitatum

Historia Calamitatum, also known as The Story of My Misfortunes, is an autobiographical work written by the medieval philosopher and theologian Peter Abelard. The book is a personal account of Abelard's life, including his rise to fame as a teacher, his passionate love affair with Heloise, his castration at the hands of Heloise's vengeful uncle, and his subsequent struggles with depression and spiritual questioning.Abelard's writing is characterized by its frankness and emotional intensity, as he recounts his experiences with great detail and introspection. He reflects on the nature of love, the role of suffering in the Christian life, and the challenges of reconciling reason and faith.Historia Calamitatum is considered a classic of medieval literature and an important work in the development of the autobiography as a literary genre. It is also notable for its insights into the intellectual and cultural milieu of the twelfth century, as well as its depiction of the complex and often fraught relationships between men and women in medieval society.FORTHWITH I repaired to my own country, and brought back thence my mistress, that I might make her my wife. She, however, most violently disapproved of this, and for two chief reasons: the danger thereof, and the disgrace which it would bring upon me. She swore that her uncle would never be appeased by such satisfaction as this, as, indeed, afterwards proved only too true.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.