Sebastian BrantBy Annika Olson

Sebastian Brant Born: 1457/1458, Strasburg

Died: 10 May, 1521, Strasburg (Age: ~64)

Degree: Law

Renown for: Poetry

Renown work: Das Narrenschiff (Ship of Fools)

Supporter of the Church

Humanist and Satirist

Sebastian Brant by Albrecht Dürer

Family

Parents: Diebold Brant, Barbara née Picker

Eldest of three sons

Father died, January 1468

Married Elisabeth Burgin, 1485

Seven children

University of Basel

Founded 1460

Oldest University in Switzerland

Founding principal facilities: Divinity, Law, Medicine

Other Alumni:

Friedrich Nietzsche,

Carl Jung

http://www.unibas.ch(source: umsl.edu)

Life

Obtained doctor of Law (1489)

Professor of literature

Basel joined Swiss confederacy(1501)

Moved back to Strasburg

Became town clerk in 1503

Did a lot of editorial work after 1500

Ideology

Humanist

Poems often religious and political

Used some poetry to express his beliefs

Supported Emperor Maximillian I

Hoped for an Imperial Germany

“Knowledge of self is praised as the height of wisdom” (newadvent)

Works

Expositiones (1490)

Das Narrenschiff (Ship of Fools) (1494)

In laudem Marie Carmina (Songs in praise of Mary) (1494)

Varia Carmina (Various poems) (1498)

Editor

Decretum Gratiani (1493)

Terence (1503)

Bescheidenheit (1508)

And more…Varia Carmina

Das Narrenschiff (The Ship of Fools)

Allegorical poem discussing the folly of man

Published by Johann Bergman von Olpe on 11 February 1494

Satire written in verse

112 (short) chapters

Wildly popular in Germany

Reproduced in English, French, Latin, Dutch, Low German…

Most complete edition from Father Zarncke (1854)

Of Old Fools by Master of the Haintz-Narr

Woodcuts

Source: digital.lib.uh.edu/

Das Narrenschiff (The Ship of Fools)Chapter 6

Howe beit I stoup, and fast decline (a)Dayly to my graue, and sepulture (b)And though my lyfe fast do enclyne (a)To pay the trybute of nature (b)Yet styll remayne I and endure (b)In my olde synnes, and them nat hate (c)Nought yonge, wors olde, suche is my state (c)

Schon steh ich an der Grube dicht, (a)Im Arsch das Schindermesser sticht, (a)Doch – meine Narrheit laß ich nicht! (a)

Of Old Fools by Master of the Haintz-Narr

(English) tinyurl.com/pexymqe(German) tinyurl.com/nyzc9of

Critically

Popularity aside, it isn’t considered a very “artistic” poem.

Brant discusses a wide range of issues: social, political, and religious

Each chapter devoted to a different kind of fool.

Covered many different kind of “fools” from the contemporary time, from sinners to trivial troublemakers. By today’s standards, many of these are considered more trivial or just antiquated.

Sources

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Sebastian_Brant.aspx

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02741a.htm

http://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/p15195coll15

http://www.nndb.com/people/150/000102841/

https://www.basel.com/en/history

http://tudigit.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/show/inc-ii-199

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/370486/Maximilian-I

The Ship of Fools: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20179/20179-h/20179-h.htm