"Portrait of a Heretic" is a collection of essays by Shibusawa Tatsuhiko focusing on famous "abnormal" figures in the history of Western culture, including the "mad king" Ludwig II who built Neuschwanstein Castle, the "magician" Gurdjieff who embodies the mysticism of the 20th century, and the prototype of Baron Charles Mendel in "In Search of Lost Time" The Duke of Squiu-Fouissesac, the hermit Beckford, the author of the strange book "Watek", the former partner of Joan of Arc and the serial murderer Gilles de Rey, the fanatical revolutionary Saint-Just who advocated the execution of Louis XVI during the French Revolution, and the dissolute young Roman Emperor Heliogabalus, etc. The author Shibusawa Tatsuhiko tried to clear up the fog of history, inquire into the cause and effect of the formation of these twisted personalities, and write about the loneliness and destruction of these heretics who were out of step with the times.
