Marilyn Schneider first encountered Pons de Baucio in twelfth-century documents while conducting research for her PhD dissertation, “The Sculptures of the North Gallery of the Cloister of St.-Trophîme at Arles.” As she endeavored to connect the dots of his life and read between the lines of what she discovered in the historical records, inspiration for an historical novel emerged. A Canon’s Tale, her debut, is the result.
She was awarded a PhD in Art History by Columbia University in 1983 and has since enjoyed a varied and rewarding career teaching medieval art at Queen’s University, working in research administration, and serving as executive director of the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance. She and her husband, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, live in downtown Toronto near their two grown sons and their families. She still loves to follow in Pons’s footsteps by visiting Arles and its related magnificent landmarks as often as possible.