Summary
Alix Christie: Gutenberg's Disciple
By casually browsing, a potential reader might conclude that Gutenberg's Disciple is another in a series of commercial historical novels, pieces in which the historical context is just a backdrop for all kinds of intrigues, love escapades, breakneck pursuits of ancient manuscripts... and he would be dead wrong! This is, in fact, a completely different book - it talks about one of the greatest adventures of the human spirit: printing a book! In more detail: she tells how the copyist of the manuscript Peter Schöffer, his stepfather Johann Fust, the financier of that medieval "startup project", and the inventor of typography Johann Gutenberg secretly embarked on, no less, than printing the Bible! At the same time, it is particularly interesting that it comes to light that Schöffer and Fust are equally responsible for the printing of the "Gutenberg Bible", as well as the "mythical" Johann Gutenberg. These true beginnings of the "magnificent art of printing" come to light through the writings of Abbot Trithemius, to whom Gutenberg's student Peter Schöffer recounted them in detail, and he is the one whose story this is actually.
Although this is her first novel, Alix Christie writes extremely skillfully and expertly: she thoroughly describes and dates the events, precisely fitting the characters into the historical context; at the same time emphasizing the differences between the creators of the press, but also their common feature which, after all, characterized their entire era: immense passion. It must be admitted that it is a real pleasure to read how the author skillfully invokes the necessary biblical and historical references as she narratively guides us in a logical sequence, skilfully combining the main character's work, art and life story. All in all, this book is a more than worthy tribute to the creators of the book, and at the same time a real treat for all book and art lovers!
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