Martin Luther

This is a smart, accessible, authoritative biography of one of the most dynamic figures in European history. Lyndal Roper writes with clarity and discernment, so that nothing stands between the reader and her grimly fascinating subject; she earths the reformer, situating him psychically as well as geographically in a Germany she describes as vividly as if we lived there: mining towns as well as lecture halls, courts as well as cathedrals. She creates a context for a man who arouses both admiration and horror in the modern reader. Here he stands: never more vocal, more controversial, more compelling – Hilary MantelA fine achievement, deeply researched and fluently written, and it brings its difficult and cantankerous subject to life as no other biography has… A magnificent study of one of history’s most compelling and divisive figures – Richard J. EvansImpeccable scholarship and painstaking fair-mindedness characterize his deeply illuminating biography. Roper has mined the correspondence, and Luther’s charisma and complexity shine through the letters – Andrew Pettegree * New York Times *Lyndal Roper’s new book is a compelling and provocative attempt to restore some flesh and blood to this static icon…the work of one of the most imaginative and pioneering historians of our generation – Alexandrda Walsham * Guardian *Lyndal Roper provides a fine scholarly narrative of Luther’s extraordinary life…She paints the picture of a “difficult hero”, with full attention to both light and shadow. A compellingly readable and richly documented study – Rowan WilliamsExcellent and wholly absorbing biography… Roper’s biography, distinguished by the excellence of its writing and research, is the beginning of wisdom in all things Reformation, anti-Roman and, alas, proto-Hitlerite. – Ian Thomson * Guardian *[Martin Luther is] exemplary history: imaginative yet empirical, rounded and profound. – Malcolm Gaskill * Financial Times *Roper’s immaculate scholarship…gives a complex account of his inner life, without ever straying beyond what the evidence will allow. – Kathryn Hughes * Guardian, Book of the Year *[It] deploys its considerable learning with the lightest of touches: a seductive, shimmering and significant retelling of a man whose rise to power was…as unlikely as it was extraordinary – Thomas Penn * Guardian, Book of the Year *An impressive and fascinating read. – David Crane * Spectator, Book of the Year *

Lyndal Roper is Regius Professor of History at Oxford and one of the most respected historians at work in Britain today. An expert on early modern Germany, her previous books include a study of witchcraft, Witch Craze- Terror and Fantasy in Baroque Germany. In 2016 she received the prestigious Gerda Henkel Foundation Prize for her work on Luther and the Reformation.