From 4 May 1521 to 1 March 1522, Martin Luther is a resident at the Wartburg. Entirely against his will, for he has been taken into safe keeping at the behest of the Elector of Saxony. Here, he is exposed to great tribulations, but also achieves his greatest work: In just ten weeks, he translates the New Testament into German.
Feridun Zaimoglu takes us back in time to the era, fortress and battles that the interpreter is forced to contend with. To do so, the author avails himself of an extremely fascinating – despite being fictional – first-person narrator: the Landsknecht Burkhard, the wayward son of a merchant, who has been placed at Luther’s side to protect him. It is his perspective that offers us a glimpse into the life, aspirations and torments of the Reformer. Burkhard – himself a follower of the old customs – watches Luther’s efforts with concern. He has no desire to apostatize, to break with tradition, yet it is his duty to protect and preserve someone who is doing just that. Indeed, he is even obliged to accompany Luther when the latter secretly leaves the fortress to spend time with Melanchthon in Wittenberg. And to stand by him when the so-called Devil’s Bible plunges him into the most terrible of diabolical visions.
With sonorous language, an astonishing wealth of knowledge and rising drama, Feridun Zaimoglu writes about a great German, a time of transformation and the power and powerlessness of faith.
