* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia
"I have walked and walked, without rest... through distant lands. I tell you that that bottle – that of time – was never empty and never will be. And I dedicate it to you, writing about this adventure."
Drawing on the wisdom of the Ancients, Sebastian Brant decided to write about what no one likes to talk about. But she is there, always. Human stupidity. And he published his little book in 1494, The Ship of Fools or The Ship of Fools (in the German original, Das Narrenschiff).
Without a doubt, he was surprised by the enormous success of the little work, although of course, only by those few who knew how to read, but they would not take long to comment on it. He died on May 10, 1521.
Today, his book is still a best seller. And today we take a look at it, because no, the human being has not changed.
Then, after its publication, there were some voices. Voices that surprised many people. About alleged plagiarism. And because? Another small book, titled The Praise of Madness, had just been published - although far away, much further north of that medieval Europe, specifically in the city of Amsterdam and, at first, secretly. Its author, the great Erasmus of Rotterdam.
Would he have read Ship of Fools? Had it perhaps inspired you? Some, few, dared to state it publicly, but the fame of the Rotterdam man was great and he had powerful protectors, so that mystery can never be solved.
There are no exact data, but it seems that Sebastian Brant was born in Strasbourg in 1457. He had studied Law, like his father.
And then he lives in Basel and is a law professor at the university in the same city. Although he is also a writer. And his book “The Ship of Fools (or rather "Of Fools"), published in Basel in the year 1494, would not take long to become a true best seller, so that the author of it would soon be in everyone's mouth. First only those who knew how to read.
Following the idea of the authors of Antiquity that life is nothing more than a boat trip - this supposed trip begins in a country that does not appear on any map and heads towards "Stupidland" or the country of Fools. That the sailors – due to their unorthodox behavior – could be overtaken by the sea, did not enter into the calculations of those foolish or crazy or happy passengers.
To highlight the deep background of the small story - told in 112 verses - about the errors - big and small - of the human race, the author often resorts to Greek and Latin classics, as well as verses or phrases from the Bible itself. , as when Solomon reminds the passengers "he who is not righteous here will be harshly punished there, because neither wisdom, nor understanding, nor power serve to defend himself before God."
Sebastian Brant laid the foundations of Humanistic Philosophy. Never before had readers held a book so artfully presented in their hands, also because it was only about 50 years ago that the great Johann Gutenberg had invented the art of printing.
Furthermore, in each chapter, the author had not only placed a leitmotif, but at the beginning of each chapter there was a woodcut, the first by the great German painter Albrecht Dürer.
And it was translated in London, in Paris, in Madrid, in Amsterdam. Yes, it became a true best seller, not only in Northern Europe in the 15th century and subsequent centuries, so Sebastian Brant was already an author of European fame, when in the year 1500 he returned to his hometown, Strasbourg. .
After the author's death, on May 10, 1521, his fame and popularity lasted just 300 years. And today, no one talks about his little book anymore, even though we are all passengers on that "ship of crazy fools."
