Praise of Folly: A New Translation

Synopsis

In addition to a sparkling modern translation of praise of folly, this volume also includes other works by erasmus: pope julius barred from heaven, epigram against pope julius ii and a selection of his adages. Together with the extensive annotation of the texts, these help to set erasmus’s masterpiece in an accessible context for the modern reader. A central text of the renaissance, praise of folly is an essential part of the western canon, without which much that has followed – in culture, theology and literature – would not exist.