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The Right to Heresy: Castellio against Calvin
ByPublisher Description
Telling a gripping story of resistance to oppression, Zweig frames 16th-century theologian Sebastian Castellio's feud with John Calvin as a timeless warning to readers about the dangers of dictatorial power.
“The first modern man who fought the good fight for humanity's right to think its own thoughts and to say them.” —New York Times
Though all but forgotten today, Sebastian Castellio’s passionate protest against the terror of heresy hunting in 16th-century Geneva marks him as one of the first modern fighters for intellectual freedom. Stefan Zweig recognized the strong parallels between Castellio’s situation and his own when Zwieg himself fled the rise of Nazism in 1936. In this original biography, Zweig rescues the little-known theologian from history in a bold and compelling parable against the acceptance of abusive authority.
Castellio faced a world gripped by fanaticism and raging ideologies of violence. Yet while many free-thinking humanists too often foresaw—and failed to protest—the disasters draconian leaders would bring upon Europe, Castellio chose to condemn the burning of 'heretics' as murder and advocated for religious tolerance, at great personal cost. Zweig details how Castellio’s writing against Calvin was supported by no one publically, resulting in him living a life of poverty and danger.
A gripping account from one of the 20th century’s most celebrated writers, The Right to Heresy is the story of Castellio's feud with Calvinist doctrine, offering timely commentary on abusive power. Through clear and incisive writing, Zweig captures an urgent polemic on individual sacrifices made, throughout history, in resistance to authoritarianism.
“The first modern man who fought the good fight for humanity's right to think its own thoughts and to say them.” —New York Times
Though all but forgotten today, Sebastian Castellio’s passionate protest against the terror of heresy hunting in 16th-century Geneva marks him as one of the first modern fighters for intellectual freedom. Stefan Zweig recognized the strong parallels between Castellio’s situation and his own when Zwieg himself fled the rise of Nazism in 1936. In this original biography, Zweig rescues the little-known theologian from history in a bold and compelling parable against the acceptance of abusive authority.
Castellio faced a world gripped by fanaticism and raging ideologies of violence. Yet while many free-thinking humanists too often foresaw—and failed to protest—the disasters draconian leaders would bring upon Europe, Castellio chose to condemn the burning of 'heretics' as murder and advocated for religious tolerance, at great personal cost. Zweig details how Castellio’s writing against Calvin was supported by no one publically, resulting in him living a life of poverty and danger.
A gripping account from one of the 20th century’s most celebrated writers, The Right to Heresy is the story of Castellio's feud with Calvinist doctrine, offering timely commentary on abusive power. Through clear and incisive writing, Zweig captures an urgent polemic on individual sacrifices made, throughout history, in resistance to authoritarianism.
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About Stefan Zweig
Stefan Zweig was born in 1881 in Vienna, into a wealthy Austrian-Jewish family. Between the wars, he was an international bestseller, publishing a string of hugely popular novellas. In 1934, with the rise of Nazism, Zweig left Austria, and lived in London, Bath and New York - a period during which he produced his most celebrated works: his only novel, Beware of Pity, and his memoir, The World of Yesterday. He eventually settled in Brazil, where in 1942 he and his wife were found dead in an apparent double suicide. Much of his work is available from Pushkin Press.
Eden Paul (1865-1944) and Cedar Paul (1880-1972) together translated dozens of books from French, German, Italian and Russian during their thirty years of marriage. Among them were writings on psychoanalysis and socialist thought, as well as many of the works of Stefan Zweig.
Eden Paul (1865-1944) and Cedar Paul (1880-1972) together translated dozens of books from French, German, Italian and Russian during their thirty years of marriage. Among them were writings on psychoanalysis and socialist thought, as well as many of the works of Stefan Zweig.
Other books by Stefan Zweig
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