Ship of Fools
Ship of Fools, novel by Katherine Anne Porter, published in 1962. Porter used as a framework Das Narrenschiff (1494; The Ship of Fools), by Sebastian Brant, a satire in which the world is likened to a ship whose passengers, fools and deranged people all, are sailing toward eternity.
Porter’s novel is set in 1931 aboard a German passenger ship returning to Bremerhaven, Germany, from Veracruz, Mexico. The ship carries a microcosm of peoples whose behaviours are driven by jealousy, cruelty, and duplicity.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by J.E. Luebering.
Citation Information
Article Title:
Ship of Fools
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
28 March 2022
Access Date:
November 14, 2026