Anna Legat was delighted to discover that the – or a – real Doctor Faustus was in Kraków at the same time as the fictional hero of her latest novel, A Pact with the Devil, was in the Polish university city. Of course, she had to find out more… Although made of smoke and mirrors, […]
A Pact with the Devil by Anna Legat
1491, Cracow, Kingdom of Poland. The 44th year in the reign of Casimir Jagiellon. Nicolaus Copernicus and his brother Andreas embark on their studies at the University of Cracow. Nicolaus is a bashful young man and a keen scholar; Andreas, a wastrel with a passion for carnal pursuits. The university is embroiled in scandal when […]
Mary, Queen of Scots: royalty and reputation
The reputation of Mary, Queen of Scots, has swung wildly over the centuries, from adulteress and murderer to romantic tragic royalty, from manipulator to puppet. Little survives in the historical record of what she had to say for herself. Anna Legat, author of The Queen’s Avenger, argues that she was a ‘smart’ politician, diplomat and […]