UU historian wrote about thieves in the Middle Ages
Janna Coomans wins Libris History Prize
Photo: OVT
To write her highly acclaimed book Dievenland (Thieves' Land), Coomans searched old archives for confessions made by petty criminals. Based on these, she attempts to reconstruct daily life in Dutch cities during the Middle Ages.
According to the jury of the Libris History Prize, led by the former Member of Parliament and now Professor of Philosophy Ronald van Raak, Coomans wrote “a gem of research enthusiasm filled with astonishing stories”. The Utrecht University lecturer received a 20,000-euro prize.
Her UU colleague Erik de Lange was among the five nominees for the prize. In his book De Laatste Dagen van Barbarije (The Last Days of Barbarie), readers are immersed in the world of Mediterranean piracy at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
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