When Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) proved that the earth was not the center of the universe, man's conception of his cosmos and his God broke down. That shattering situation, with the great astronomer at its hub, and the toll it took on him, his church, and his world, is what John Banville skillfully reveals in this novel.

Set in a fascinating, remote world, Doctor Copernicus transcends its context, making it at once an historical and a very modern novel.