Narrenschiff

[Paul Mackin]

Otto Sell wrote:

> high,
> found this on my infopedia-cd:
> BRANT, Sebastian (1458?-1521), German poet and humanist, born in Strasbourg
> (now in France). He practiced and taught law at the University of Basel
> before returning to Strasbourg, where he became town clerk in 1501. Brant
> achieved great fame through his satirical poem Das Narrenschiff (The Ship of
> Fools, 1494), which tells of a shipload of 112 people looking for a fools'
> paradise. They all die because of their errant behavior. Each character
> represents a vice or folly of Brant's time. The poem formed the basis for
> Ship of Fools (1962), a novel by the American writer Katherine Anne Porter.
>
> Otto
>
> PS he also said this:
>     Ein jedes Ding, wann es ufkunt, Zum höchsten, fellt es selber zu grunt.
> (what goes ,up, must come down)

Also interesting in the present context that in the Porter book and movie the
theme was updated to Nazi racism.  Vivien Leigh's last appearance.

                        P.