Often described as an alchemical allegory, John Crowley instead decided this is “the first science fiction novel.” After all, “it’s fiction; it’s about the possibilities of a science; and it’s a novel.” No matter what else it might be, it’s definitely one of the great outlandish stories in Western literature.
Johann Valentin Andreae (1586–1654), or Johannes Valentinus Andreä, was a Lutheran theologian, who claimed to have written Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Rosencreutz, one of the three founding works of Rosicrucianism, as a youthful jest. He was born in Herrenberg, Württemberg, in southwest Germany, studied theology and natural sciences in Tübingen, and died in Stuttgart after a long career in the church.View all by Johann Valentin Andreae, John Crowley
