In conversation with Berrie Vugts of the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet, Sandra Langereis explains how she went about writing her monumental Erasmus biography: “I think it is important that I disrupt my reader from the very first moment”. During his life Erasmus already attempted to define the image we have of him. “This man really wouldn't have thought it strange that we are sitting here talking about him five centuries later,” says Langereis.
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Erasmus: lateral thinker was published by the Bezige Bij last March and is already in its third edition. This biography does not stop at the classical image, but paints a lively portrait of Erasmus as a human being. A monument to the thinker, EUR professor of 'Erasmian values' Ronald van Raak called the book: "all in the spirit of Erasmus". In this interview, Langereis speaks with infectious enthusiasm about Erasmus's sense of humor, his self-image as a bastard child, and of course his role as a writer and Bible translator. And, not unimportant for Rotterdammers: Langereis is convinced that Erasmus was indeed born in Rotterdam.
This interview has been published on the YouTube channel of the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet and the University Library, where more captivating conversations with writers can be viewed.