Peter Prange – författare

Now in paperback, The Philosopher’s Kiss tells the passionate love story between Sophie, a girl from the French countryside, and Denis Diderot, the famed philosopher behind the creation of the first encyclopedia.Internationally bestselling author Peter Prange makes his US debut with a luminous historical novel. Truth. Betrayal. Revolution. Love. ENLIGHTENMENT. PARIS, 1747. Betrayed by God and humanity, eighteen-year-old Sophie moves to the seething French capital and finds work as a serving girl at Café Procope. Here, against her will, she falls deeply in love with Denis Diderot, the famed philosopher and a married man. He and his colleagues are planning the most dangerous book in the world since the Bible: an encyclopedia. Even more scandalous are references concealed within that threaten to undermine both the monarchy and the church. But Sophie soon realizes that even her own rights to freedom, love, and happiness are at risk. Prange powerfully recreates a fascinating era in this spirited story of passion, censorship, self-expression, and rebellion.

A selection of 120 drawings from the holdings of the Graphic Art Collection of Augsburg’s Art Collections and Museums provides a comprehensive overview of the art of drawing in German-speaking countries in the period from 1600 to ca. 1780. A particular focus of the collection is on the art of drawing in Augsburg, a city that was one of the most innovative art centres in Germany during the 17th and 18th centuries. Designs for ceiling frescoes and altarpieces, models for copperplate engravings, sculptures, and album pages are on display, as well as portraits and landscapes. Artists such as Johann Rottenhammer, Johann Heinrich Schönfeld and Joseph Werner epitomize the high quality of drawing in 17th-century Augsburg, while Johann Wolfgang Baumgartner, Johann Georg Bergmüller and Johann Evangelist Holzer are representative of the 18th century. Exhibition Schaezlerpalais, Kunstsammlungen und Museen Augsburg July 31 to September 28, 2025