A Monk of Fife

A Monk of Fife by Andrew Lang plunges listeners into a vivid medieval chronicle where a Scottish monk becomes witness, storyteller, and reluctant historian. Blending historical fiction with literary flair, Lang draws on the lost Latin Book of Pluscarden and the voice of Norman Leslie of Pitcullo to recreate 15th-century Scotland and France—an age of monasteries, miracles, and fierce political loyalties. The narrative follows a monk commissioned to abridge the Great Chronicle and record events of his time, including wondrous deeds beyond his homeland and the strange, intimate memory of a “marvellous Maiden” who helped recover the kingdom of France. Themes of faith, memory, national identity, and the tension between recorded history and personal testimony run through the prose, while the novel’s historical grounding illuminates medieval politics, ecclesiastical influence, and the human cost of war. Lang’s evocative storytelling preserves the voice of a chronicler torn between devotion and witness, offering a layered portrait of an unsettled Europe. Ideal for listeners who love historical fiction, literary retellings, and medieval history, A Monk of Fife rewards anyone curious about Joan of Arc’s era seen through a Scottish monk’s eyes and the art of medieval chronicling.