Philomena [antikvár]

Foreword Philomena is the extraordinary story of an extraordinary woman. Philomena Lee was a naive teenager, whose only sin was to fall pregnant out of wedlock. 'Put away' in a convent by an Irish society dominated by the Roman Catholic Church, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy For three years she cared for young Anthony, working all the while in the abbey's laundries. Then, like thousands of other 'fallen women', Philomena was forced to give up her child as a condition of being released from the near-slavery she found herself in. This was the fate of many young mothers with illegitimate children in 1950s Ireland. Only very recently has the Irish government apologized for the living hell that was inflicted upon them. But Philomena's tale is special. This book, and the film that is based upon it, tells the story of her decades-long search for the son she lost. It depicts her uncertainty, hope and moments of despair. And at the end, it reveals a remarkable human being with astonishing fortitude and a truly humbling willingness to forgive. To me, it is astounding that Philomena still has her strong religious belief even after everything that was done to her. She questions things and is very open in speaking about her experiences, but her faith is unshakeable - as strong as it always was. When I was asked to play the part of Philomena in Stephen Frears's wonderful film, I thought back to my own Irish heritage. My