An Evening with Kate Mosse

At the Redbridge Book and Media Festival this evening was a visit by Kate Mosse, the writer of the epic historical novels Labyrinth and Sepulchre. It was a pleasant and enjoyable evening during which Kate spoke to the gathering about how she came to be inspired to write those novels. Set in the southwest of France she has managed to capture the spirit of the places: Carcassonne the old and new, the Pyrenees and the landscape of the area so well that I, as a reader, feel as if I have been there. The story of the persecution of the Cathars, the oldest non Catholic religion, and their eventual eradication through the inquisition of the Thirteenth century has taken the reader into a fascinating historical journey through the cosy little village streets, along the banks of the Aude, though the beautiful forests of the region, all described in a way to make you feel as if you are there living through it all. And to top it all is a deeply moving human drama of the persecution of a people by the French Catholic invaders from the north (given free rein by the Pope Innocent) to pillage and destroy the Cathar people and religion, to eradicate the Occitan language of the people and wipe out all traces of their presence. Their belief in reincarnation and the everpresent existence of their abiding spirit in the place was beautifully described in the choir of angels singing colliding in mid air with the Catholic hymns to create a deeply mystical and evocative atmosphere of the times. The novels have inspired me as a reader to visit this part of the world even if to just imagine that I shall share the ether with these mighty and memorable spirits.