Nationality British Literary movement Ordination of women Role Author | Period 1950s–'90s Name Monica Furlong | |
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Born 17 January 1930
Kenton, Greater London, England ( 1930-01-17 ) Occupation Author, writer, journalist Genre Non-fiction, children's fiction, biography Subject Religion, Church of England, women in religion Died January 14, 2003, Umberleigh, United Kingdom Nominations Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature Books Wise Child, Juniper, Zen effects, Merton: A Biography, Visions and Longings Similar People Alan Watts, P D James, Angela Tilby, Margaret Hebblethwaite, Christmas Humphreys | ||
Wise Child(Doran #1) - Monica Furlong
Monica Furlong (17 January 1930 – 14 January 2003) was a British author, journalist, and activist. She was born at Kenton near Harrow, north-west of London and died at Umberleigh in Devon. An obituary called her the Church of England's "most influential and creative layperson of the post-war period."
Contents
Many of Furlong’s books reflected a deep interest in religion and spirituality. She wrote biographies of John Bunyan, Trappist monk Thomas Merton, Therese of Lisieux, and Alan Watts, as well as books covering such diverse topics as the spiritual life of aboriginals, medieval women mystics, and the Church of England. She also wrote a popular series of children's novels set in medieval England and Scotland: Wise Child, Juniper, and Colman. Furlong's autobiography, Bird of Paradise, was published in 1995.
Furlong began her writing career in 1956 as a feature writer for Truth magazine, where she met Bernard Levin, who became a lifelong friend. She then joined the The Spectator as its religious correspondent from 1958 until 1960, before moving to the Daily Mail, where she remained for the next eight years.
In the 1960s, Furlong became involved in religious reform. In her first book, With Love to the Church (1965), she expressed her beliefs in an inclusive Church and sided with those who felt excluded. She became a supporter of the cause of women in the Anglican Church. In the 1980s she campaigned for the ordination of women, and when that goal was reached she called for the appointment of women to senior Church positions. While in her 30s Furlong had used LSD, an experience she described in her book Travelling in (1971); the work was banned from Church of Scotland bookshops.
Adult non-fiction
(published in England as Genuine Fake: A Biography of Alan Watts)