Furlong, Monica (1930–2003)
Furlong, Monica (1930–2003)
British journalist, poet, novelist, biographer and feminist. Born Jan 17, 1930, in Harrow, Middlesex, England; died Jan 14, 2003, in Devon, England; dau. of Alfred Gordon Furlong and Freda Simpson Furlong; attended University College London; m. William John Knights, 1953 (div. 1977); children: son and daughter.
Christian feminist who campaigned for ordination of women and rights of homosexuals in Anglican church, began career as a journalist covering religious issues for Daily Mail and later The Guardian; also worked as religious programer for BBC (1974–78) and wrote biographies of religious figures, including Thomas Merton and Thérèse of Lisieux; served as moderator of the Movement for the Ordination of Women (MOW, 1982–85); received honorary doctorates from General Theological Seminary of New York and Bristol University; writings include With Love to the Church (1965), God's a Good Man and Other Poems (1974), Puritan's Progress: A Study of John Bunyan (1975), Divorce: One Woman's View (1981), Danger and Delight: Women and Power in the Church (1991), The Flight of the Kingfisher (1996), Visions and Longings: Medieval Women Mystics (1996) and The Church of England: The State It's In (2000).
See also memoir, Bird of Paradise (1995).