ERASMUS: Grandeur and Decadence of an Idea —By Stefan Zweig — 1930s PHILOSOPHY, HUMANISM Publisher: Bernard Grasset, Paris (1930s)
From Erasme of Rotterdam (1467-1536), only his portraits by
Holbein and Dürer are known more, and he is associated with
a word: humanism. From this striking figure of the Renaissance, Stefan Zweig
gives us here a portrait that restores its full dimension. A great traveler,
Erasmus was the first thinker to define himself as a European. On the lookout
for all the knowledge, passionate about printing, he preached the access of all
to culture and knowledge. A bold reformer, but in love with tolerance and
dialogue, he denounced all fanaticisms and sought to avert the religious break
that was going to bloodshed Europe. He was the first intellectual in the modern sense, spiritual
father of Spinoza or Voltaire. "Thanks to Erasmus," writes Stefan
Zweig, "there is a new power in Europe: that of the pen." Originally published in 1935, this essay reflected the Austrian
writer's preoccupations in a Europe plagued by totalitarianism and soon to war.
He has lost none of his news. This is a scarce fifth edition written in French, translated from the German by Alzir Hella. Beautiful leather binding with marbled boards and endpapers. 239 pages, with illustrations.
