L'Œuvre au noir

Zénon Ligre is a physician, alchemist and philosopher born in sixteenth-century Bruges, an illegitimate son of a banker's family. He leaves his home to roam Europe, studying medicine, practicing as a doctor, and working on experiments that break with the orthodoxy of church and universities. Marguerite Yourcenar follows him through Italy, Germany, Sweden and the Ottoman world, to his return to Bruges under a false name, where the authorities accuse him of heresy and force a final choice.

It suits readers of historical novels who want learning and ideas, set in a world of religious wars and early science. It's dense, so it rewards patient reading.

Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a demanding read.

Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?