From 17th-century starvation to 12th-century mysticism: a novelist's historical scope

Wars & Conflicts · Published 16 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Lauren Groff maps the extremes of human endurance across centuries. Her work traverses the harrowing 'starving time' of colonial settlements and the spiritual isolation of medieval abbeys, exploring how individuals survive when pushed to the absolute limits of physical and psychological existence.

Groff’s literary reach spans diverse historical and contemporary settings, often focusing on the intersection of personal identity and systemic pressure. Her 1609 'starving time' narrative, The Vaster Wilds (2023), depicts a servant's frantic flight away from a colonial outpost. This narrative explores survival in a period of extreme scarcity and colonial upheaval. In contrast, her 2021 novel, Matrix, shifts the focus to the 12th century. It follows a seventeen-year-old Marie de France as she is sent to become the prioress of an impoverished abbey. Portraying a mystic's imagined life, the tale focuses on a convent plagued by illness and famine.

This work highlights Groff's interest in the spiritual and physical tolls of isolation. Beyond historical fiction, Groff addresses modern pressures. Her 2018 collection, Florida, won The Story Prize and was noted by The Guardian as a 'heroic pushback' against artificial environments and the corporate-maintained pressures on women to be 'flawless.' Her work consistently examines the tension between the internal self and the external demands of society, whether those demands are the rigors of medieval life or the expectations of the 21st century.

Groff has established herself as a significant contemporary voice, named one of Time's 100 most influential people in 2024. Her career is marked by critical acclaim, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2018 and multiple bestseller statuses for works like Fates and Furies, which was notably selected as a favorite book of 2015 by President Barack Obama.

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