Brant (Brandt), Sebastian (c. 1457–1521)

German humanist and poet. One of the major figures of German Renaissance literature, Brant is best known for his long satirical poem Das Narrenschiff/The Ship of Fools (1494), which ridiculed the follies of his age. An immediate popular success – not least because of its outstanding woodcuts – it went into numerous editions and was quickly translated into Latin, French, Dutch, and English (in 1509 and 1517).

Born in Strasbourg, Brant taught and practised law, publishing several legal treatises, and eventually became city secretary of Strasbourg. His wide-ranging interests expressed themselves in poetry (composed initially in Latin but increasingly in German), translations from Latin and medieval German, historical works, and secular pamphlets and broadsheets.

It was his Das Narrenschiff, however, in which he satirizes 110 types of fool (such as the complacent priest and deceitful cook) that brought him fame and that had a lasting impact on the development of German literature. It probably gave Erasmus the inspiration for his satire In Praise of Folly (1511). It was first translated into English by Alexander Barclay as Shyppe of Fooles in 1509.

Brant studied in Basel, and it was there that he was introduced to Renaissance humanism. He also practised as a lawyer there and selected and edited books for the city's printers. He returned to Strasbourg in 1501, where he cofounded a literary society. He corresponded with many of the eminent humanists of his day.