Saxo Grammaticus wrote at a period when the terms of literature itself were being argued over.
The record lists Saxo Grammaticus as Danish historian.
Saxo Grammaticus was born at Zealand in 1150. His recorded nationality is Denmark. He was educated at Roskilde Cathedral School.
Manuscript culture meant a text travelled only as fast as scribes could copy it, and often changed as it went.
He worked as historian and writer.
The writing is recorded in medieval Latin and Old Danish.
Books outlive their reviews, and the ones that last are seldom the ones that sold best.
That the work was written from Denmark matters: language, censorship and the reach of a publishing industry decide which books travel and which stay local.
Saxo Grammaticus died in 1220, aged 70. The books remain, which is the only durable form a writing life takes.
