Листи темних людей

by Ulrich von Hutten, Ульріх фон Гуттен, Крот Рубеан

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Genres: Philosophy

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Ulrich von Hutten was a German scholar, poet, and hereditary knight. As an early humanist and an outspoken critic of the Roman Catholic Church, he was a key figure in the Lutheran Reformation. He was crowned Poet Laureate by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I on 15 August 1517 in recognition of his peerless mastery of Latin.

His contributions to the pseudonymous collaboration Epistolæ Obscurorum Virorum ("Letters of Obscure Men") are considered among "the most masterly sarcasms in the history of literature." His poem Arminius, inspired by the recently recovered Annals of Tacitus, established the Cheruscan chief as an enduring symbol of the German character.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book indeed!! I bought this entirely based on the cover, a 1960s block print reproduction that even the cool kids who ran the register liked: "hey cool cover!" It did not disappoint!

I had no idea what I was reading, but I love monk stuff and reformation! The introduction is important in this one, it sets the reader up for what you are about to read. Because this is a collection of fake letters to one Magister Ortwin Gratius, during a church shake up in 1505. Background is two guys have just published important manuscripts; Pfefferkorn, a baptized Jew who argued that Jews are awful and the Talmud should be burned, and Reuchlin's response, who argued that maybe Jews are OK and it's OK to study the Talmud.
The letters come from two young students on Reuchlin's side, but writing as if they back Pfefferkorn, and epically trolling him throughout the letters. So many jokes about how Pfefferkorn's wife is hot and only likes only circumsized men, how Gratius likes to bang old ladies in village squares, and how he is actually a bastard (for good because his mother believed that bastards are better in the eyes of God, so allowed a priest to go to town on her). It was funny, I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. I learned so much 16th century slang as well. 5 STARS!!

Also, really interesting background on the Protestant reformation. The state of the Catholic church in Germany in the late 15th-early 16th century was not good. There were tons of jokes about monks and priests having tons of mistresses, in one letter they say that a mule isn't safe in a monestary because the monks are all so horny.