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 Umberleigh is a former large manor within the historic hundred of (North) Tawton, but today a small village in North Devon in England. It used to be an ecclesiastical parish, but following the building of the church at Atherington it becam ...

in Devon. An obituary called her the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

's "most influential and creative

layperson Laypeople or laypersons may refer to: * Someone who is not an expert in a particular field of study ** Lay judge *** Lay judges in Japan * Laity, members of a church who are not clergy ** Lay brother ** Lay sister ** Lay preacher ** Lay apo ...

of the post-war period."

Career

Many of Furlong's books reflected a deep interest in religion and

spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...

. She wrote biographies of

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...

Trappist The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...

monk

Thomas Merton Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968) was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. On May 26, 1949, he was ordained to the Catholic priesthood and giv ...

Thérèse of Lisieux Thérèse of Lisieux (french: Thérèse de Lisieux ), born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin (2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897), also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (), was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelite ...

, and

Alan Watts Alan Wilson Watts (6 January 1915 – 16 November 1973) was an English writer, speaker and self-styled "philosophical entertainer", known for interpreting and popularising Japanese, Chinese and Indian traditions of Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu ...

, as well as books covering such diverse topics as the spiritual life of aboriginals, medieval women

mystics A mystic is a person who practices mysticism, or a reference to a mystery, mystic craft, first hand-experience or the occult. Mystic may also refer to: Places United States * Mistick, an old name for parts of Malden and Medford, Massachusetts * ...

, and the

. She also wrote a popular series of children's novels set in medieval England and Scotland: ''Wise Child'', its prequel spinoff ''Juniper'', and its immediate sequel ''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 Henry Bernard Levin (19 August 1928 – 7 August 2004) was an English journalist, author and broadcaster, described by ''The Times'' as "the most famous journalist of his day". The son of a poor Jewish family in London, he won a scholarship t ...

, who became a lifelong friend. She then joined ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' as its religious correspondent from 1958 until 1960, before moving to the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'', 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 Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

. In the 1980s she campaigned for the

ordination of women The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...

, 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 Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

, an experience she described in her book ''Travelling In'' (1971); the work was banned from

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

bookshops.

Books

Adult non-fiction

* ''With Love to the Church'' (1965) * ''Contemplating Now'' (1971) * ''Travelling In'' (1971) * ''Puritan's Progress: A Study of John Bunyan'' (1975) * ''Merton: A Biography'' (1980) * ''Zen Effects: the Life of Alan Watts'' (1986)
(published in England as ''Genuine Fake: A Biography of Alan Watts'') * ''Therese of Lisieux'' (1987) * ''Birds of Paradise: Glimpses of Living Myth'' (1995) * ''Visions and Longings: Medieval Women Mystics'' (1996) * ''C of E: the State It's in'' (2000) * ''Women Pray: Voices through the Ages, from Many Faiths, Cultures, and Traditions'' (2004)

Adult fiction

* ''The Cat's Eye'' (1976)

Children's fiction

''Wise Child'' trilogy

* ''Wise Child'' (1987) * ''Juniper'' (1990)- prequel spinoff to ''Wise Child'' * ''Colman'' (2003)- sequel to ''Wise Child''

Stand-alone

* ''Robin's Country'' (1994)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Furlong, Monica 1930 births 2003 deaths British activists British women activists British biographers British religious writers British spiritual writers British children's writers Daily Mail journalists Place of birth missing People from Kenton, London Women biographers British women children's writers Women religious writers 20th-century biographers 20th-century British women writers 20th-century British journalists