THE WHEEL OF THE WORLD

  • A North German convent in the Middle Ages.
  • A strong young woman fighting for science. And creating the most impressive map of her time.
  • Based on a true story: Hendrik Lambertus brings history to life - visceral, detailed, and captivating.

Lüneburg, circa 1300. Young Agnes suffers under the power games of her father, Prince Otto, who is determined to marry his daughter to a nobleman. But Agnes’s true passion is science: She eagerly studies works of natural history and geography. She creates sketches for her own representation of the world, a map that is to incorporate all of her knowledge.

During her research, she meets the young merchant Liudger, who shares her passion and with whom she falls in love. She plans to run away with him to escape the constraints of rank and finally see the world, but her father discovers the affair and sends her to the Ebstorf Heath Convent for the rest of her days as penance.

Agnes is desperate until she discovers the convent's great treasure trove of knowledge: its library. While her dream of traveling recedes into the unattainable distance, her resolve to complete her map grows. A magnificent document that depicts the world as a grand whole - a map that could go down in history. If Agnes manages to complete it ...

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  • Publisher: Rowohlt Taschenbuch
  • Release: 15.05.2026
  • ISBN: 978-3-499-01687-5
  • 624 Pages
  • Author: Hendrik Lambertus

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Buchcover von THE WHEEL OF THE WORLD
Hendrik Lambertus THE WHEEL OF THE WORLD
Portrait von Hendrik Lambertus
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Hendrik Lambertus

Hendrik Lambertus was born in 1979 and studied Scandinavian studies, older Germanic languages, and Indology in Tübingen. He later earned his Ph.D. with a thesis on late medieval Icelandic literature. He continues to engage with ancient texts from various cultural regions in his academic teaching, which also serves as inspiration for his own writing. Since 2011, he has operated the writing workshop "Satzweberei" as a freelance writing coach and has published books in different genres. He lives with his family near Bremen.