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BOOKS
UEA Live: Lauren Groff and her Queer Nuns by Louise Collins
On October 7th, Lauren Groff kicked off UEA Live by discussing her latest novel Matrix, a finalist for the 2021 National Book Awards. Matrix is a historical fiction novel reimagining the 12th century poet Marie de France as a queer, visionary leader. Groff has a Master of Fine Arts degree in fiction, four published novels, and two published short story collections. Five years ago, Groff vowed to never again write historical fiction. As evidenced by Matrix, she broke that vow. She was introduced to the works of her latest protagonist at university, where she was a dual English and French major. Marie de France was the first female poet published in the French language, and Groff immediately became entranced. Having carried Marie de France in her mind for 20 years, Groff went to a lecture at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Here, the speaker was talking about ceremonial manuscripts of 12th century nuns, and Groff was inspired, stating, “as I was sitting, I saw Matrix rise up and be-
come too big for me to ignore.” In writing Matrix, Groff used a mixture of deep historical research and a lived experience by visiting an abbey. She learnt the life of modern nuns and lived through some of their routines. In more ways than one, Groff describes Matrix as a hybrid of history and contemporary life, saying “I wanted history and the current day to speak back and forth” as she wants the reader to understand they are reading history through a contemporary voice, including the way that Marie, in this novel, is a queer lover and a leader - a contemporary take on a fairly unknown historical figure. Groff said, when writing Matrix, “I asked what does female power look like?” Marie is thrust into a position of power in an abbey and, throughout the book, learns what power is, and how to use it to resist hierarchical structures. Groff noted that part of Marie’s character was that she was aware of her privilege, and this awareness was vital to her story. Matrix takes inspiration from both
the past and the present, discussing the topics of climate change, and women’s rights in the 12th century vs under the Trump presidency. Groff, living in Florida, felt powerless during his term, and this inspired a lot of what her protagonist felt. The characters and the histories helped Groff channel her own feelings of fear and powerlessness as a woman in America into this leading figure of Marie. In laying herself bare, Groff said something which really resonated with me - “as novelists, our job is not to answer anything. We go into books to ask the questions that come the closest to the darkest parts of where we are at the moment of writing the book.” Knowing this, I can already tell Matrix is going to be an emotional read, and I for one, look forward to entering the world of Marie de France and her nuns.
Photo: Molly Taylor
