In Search of Julian of Norwich, by Sheila Upjohn 

'An easy and fascinating read that takes the form of a detective story in an attempt to discover the ‘real’ Julian' 

In search of Julian of Norwich (new edition, original version published in 1989)
By Sheila Upjohn
Darton, Longman and Todd
ISBN 978-1-915412-50-8
Reviewed by Sue Clements-Jewery

 
Sheila Upjohn has lived most of her life in Norwich and is a specialist in mediaeval literature. She has previously published other work based on Julian’s writing (I dug out from my bookshelf a Lent book published in 2020) but this most recent (revised and updated) one takes the form of a detective story, her attempt to discover the ‘real’ Julian. It was timed to coincide with the 650th anniversary of Revelations of Divine love’ in 2023.
 
The author recalls that in 1973 few people in Norwich knew much about the woman who has the name of their city attributed to her. She was one of them, and admits she has spent half a century researching and writing about Julian. This study includes her own translation of the text, which she mentions as an aside.

After the years of living with the text and researching, Upjohn comes to this conclusion:

‘I have come to realise that during all the years I thought I was in search of Julian of Norwich, she has been in search of me and all her fellow Christians.’
 
This is an easy and fascinating read, just a few pages over 100. It certainly mirrors a ‘whodunit’, with chapter headings like ’The case of the missing manuscripts’, ‘The scene of the crime’ and ‘The evidence of an eyewitness’, leading into ‘The events of the 8th of May’ (date when Julian received her visions). Reference is made to other studies of ‘Revelations of Divine Love’ and to the paintings the book has inspired.

Was Julian a professed nun? Was she literate? To find the answers to these questions you will need to read the book.
 
It would make an excellent companion read to I, Julian the fictitious biography of Julian by Claire Gilbert, reviewed in this column a few months ago by Moira Kleissner
 

 
Sue Clements-Jewery offers Pastoral Supervision and is a meditator