Winner Libris History Prize 2021
Rights sold
- Ullstein (Germany)
- Mondadori (Italy)
Read our sample translation of Erasmus: Life of a Maverick
About the book
Erasmus is one of the greatest authors of the Netherlands and Belgium, and even all of Europe. He embodies the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern day. His significance for literary and scientific history is immense. Even today, thousands of his letters on subjects such as moral constraint and freedom of press have lost nothing of their significance.
The majority of Erasmus’ life and work has been neglected until now. Sandra Langereis is the first biographer who does justice to his life story by closely following his correspondence and describing the genesis of his entire literary legacy. She depicts him as the lively author of In Praise of Folly as well as a brazen biblical scholar who came up against inquisitors, but also Martin Luther. Erasmus’ life story sheds light on an eventful era: a century of dark humour and brutal violence, of religious fanaticism and the struggle for intellectual freedom. This rich biography makes history’s relevance palpable.
Erasmus has never been portrayed as this smart, sharp, brave, angry, scared and – in one word – human. And never before has a biography shone as vivid a spotlight on Erasmus’ day and age.
