Book Description
Five hundred years ago the legend was born of a man who sold his soul to the Devil for power, wealth and women. It is a legend that has inspired genius and still inspires high art and popular culture alike, from Beethoven to Cradle of Filth. Around the world there are hundreds of nightly performances of Goethe's Faust, as well as actual attempts at soul-selling on eBay. Faustus has rightly been described as an 'icon of modern culture'. But in five hundred years no one has written his biography - until now. "Faustus" is the real story behind the legend. It is the story of a sixteenth-century scandal, of a man who claimed mastery of the forbidden magical arts and dared to rival the miracles attributed to Jesus. He evoked uproar and was accused of heinous crimes. But until now no one has attempted to discover the truth behind the stories of Devil pacts and black magic. To find the real Faustus is also to find the true history of his age, and Dr Leo Ruickbie expertly takes the reader on a tour of war-torn Italy, Reformation Germany and the magical theories of the Renaissance. The life of the legend becomes as real as any living person.
