Passionately felt, skillfully written
The Invention of Truth (1995), by Marta Morazzoni was inspired by John Ruskin‘s quote: we can imagine falsities, we can compose falsehoods, but only truth can be invented, and interweaves two stories set in Amiens, France.
In the 11th century, young Anne Elizabeth journeys to Amiens to assist Queen Matilda(1031-1083) in the embroidery of a tapestry that will later become known to the world as the Bayeux Tapestry. Her life is defined by this quiet encounter with the most powerful woman on earth.
In 1879, Victorian master art critic, John Ruskin (1819-1900), makes his final journey to Amiens where his experience inspires his book, The BIBLE OF AMIENS.
Both Anne Elizabeth and John Ruskin discover their individual ‘truths’ through their art. Anne Elizabeth experiences her proximity to the Queen more authentically through observations and appreciations of the Queen’s skill with her needle and thread than as a subject of the all powerful royal. John Ruskin touches the French soul and reveals himself most powerfully through his focus on French art.
Seven hundred years separate these two lives, yet the artist in you will recognize the theme that connects them.
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