The Unknown Nostradamus: The Essential Biography for His 500th Birthday

In the wake of September 11, rumors spread that the famous""prophet of Provence,"" Nostradamus, had predicted the tragedy. Now Nostradamus scholar Lemesurier (The Nostradamus Encyclopedia) firmly debunks this notion, and in light of the astrologer's continuing popularity, seeks to separate the man from the myth--""the dogmas have to go, the myths have to be discarded."" In turn, he asserts, a""more interesting"" man emerges. Lemesurier places his subject in the context of his time, the 16th century, when war, famine and plague often ruled, and people turned to books of prophecy for some sense of certainty about the future. Dismissing the significance of Nostradamus's predictions, the author argues that they are""generic,""""deliberately designed... to refer to almost any incident at almost any time."" But interpretations were attempted soon after his death, and a""Nostradamus industry"" began to grow. Lemesurier also offers the first English translations of some of Nostradamus's nonprophetic writings, thereby giving a more complete sense of the man and his work. Readers seeking a balanced look at the controversial astrologer will do well to start here.