The Visit of the Royal Physician

by PerOlovEnquist (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2003

  $3.22

  Everyone has heard stories of King George, but few know about his brother-in-law, Christian VII, the King of Denmark at the end of the eighteenth century. When Christian VII, young, mad and highly impressionable, assumes the Danish throne, many seek to control the new king, capitalising on his mental frailty to advance their own interests. Two men stand out: Struensee, the reform-oriented court physician and Guldberg, the cold-blooded religious fanatic. As the clash between these two men and all they represent - science and religion; ideology and diplomacy; the temptations of the flesh and the certainties of dogma - escalates, the fate of an entire nation hangs in the balance. Enquist brilliantly recasts a dramatic era of Danish history, weaving a wide range of historical characters - Voltaire and Diderot, Catherine the Great and George III - into a tale of ruthless political ambition and personal betrayal.

• Used

  Paperback
  2003

  $3.22

  SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD It is the 1760s, the height of the Enlightenment. The young King of Denmark, Christian VII, is a half-wit. His queen, the English princess Caroline Mathilde, has fallen in love with his most trusted advisor, the court physician Struensee. Guldberg, a cold-blooded religious fanatic, is determined to annihilate the Enlightenment ideas Struensee is introducing to Denmark - whoever prevails in their bitter ideological battle will control not only the king but the nation state. Adultery, insanity, back-stabbing and blue blood...Enquist brilliantly recasts a dramatic era of Danish history, weaving a wide range of historical characters - Voltaire and Diderot, Catherine the Great and George III - into a tale of ruthless political ambition and personal betrayal.