Elisabeth Brandt
Autor & Journalist
"Science is not only a disciple of reason, but also one of romance and passion".
Stephen Hawkins
Elisabeth
Although the "journey of life" is a somewhat overused metaphor, it fits perfectly with Elisabeth's career - a life in which every place, every culture and every chapter influenced her perspective and direction.
After Elisabeth was born in Cologne in 1965, she rarely lived in the same place for more than a year. At the age of four, she and her family moved to Buenos Aires, the metropolis that has been a paradise for book lovers for centuries. To this day, Argentina's melancholic capital is home to some of the most magnificent bookstores in the world. Here, bookstores are lively meeting places, librarians are literary mentors, and browsing through books becomes a sensual experience. It's no wonder that Elisabeth loved books before she could even read.
Driven by her curiosity and enjoyment of true and fictional stories, her path continued.
"Elisabeth is able to literally locate important periods in her life and, in turn, each city has enriched her personality".
Once back in Germany, Elisabeth combined her love of learning and reading with a deep connection to nature and studied eventually biology in Munich. Aside from zoology, she was particularly fascinated by anthropology during her studies - which deals with the development and everyday history of humanity.
During her doctorate, an exciting new phase of her life began after the birth of her first daughter, which fully challenged her creativity and organizational talent.
After completing her dissertation, she moved with her husband and young daughters to Oxford, the city of dreaming spires. During the three years she spent there, she fell under the spell of the age-old centre of learning, whose beautiful colleges, winding streets and absurd oddities have inspired artists and scientists for centuries. In Oxford, she learned to appreciate academic traditions and understood that a good story can change the world. Back in Munich, she spent a few years enjoying time with her now four children. On the side, she attended anthropological congresses. As a mother and, since 2016, as an amateur German teacher for refugees, she enjoyed making complex content understandable and appealing. That's why she started an online course at the Freie Journalistenschule in 2019, which she successfully completed in 2021. As a science journalist and writer, Elisabeth would like to make her field - biology - more accessible to everyone.
milestones
1990 to 1997
Study of biology at the Ludwigs-Maximilians-University in Munich. In-depth study of anthropology, ecology, biochemistry and zoology/neurobiology
1998 to 2002
Doctorate in the field of historical environmental research at the department for human biology of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universtität in Munich
2002 to 2018
Family time and stay in Oxford/GB
Successful participation in the course 'Evolution of Human Behaviour' at the University of Oxford
2019 to 2021
Online-course of journalism at the Freie Journalistenschule
First Practical experiences (see article and blog)
Book: Pestilence- our long way with epidemics
book
Released December 2022
Publisher: Novum Verlag
ISBN 978-3-99131-740-1
also available as an e-book
A
pestilence
our long journey with epidemics
When we think about pandemics, we tend to think of them as just health crises, but they're actually so much more. That's what my book is all about. It is a chronicle of the most devastating pandemics in human history (and before), in which I explore not just the medical but also the evolutionary, social and ecological dimensions of mass disease. I capture the spirit of the time by including autobiographies and examples from painting, music and literature into my story. This is how I illustrate the changes in our perception of epidemics, especially in industrialised, affluent societies. The Covid pandemic demonstrated that our history is shaped as much by nature as it is by culture, technology and outstanding personalities. In the Anthropocene, as in the Paleolithic era, environmental influences have had a decisive impact on the fate of peoples and states. Historians, for example, focus on infectious diseases as a particularly drastic environmental factor. However, the interconnectedness of nature, economics, politics, technology and our behaviour has been highlighted by the recent pandemic. So it's no surprise that studying how societies are linked together has become a new trendy pursuit. My book is not just about the past. It is a clear-cut examination of the recurring patterns in our long coexistence with infectious diseases. What has changed since the biblical plagues and the medieval Black Death? What measures have proved effective in the fight against epidemics? It is time for a rethink, because we need a globally coordinated public health response to the new, old threat of epidemics.
work in progress
Collaboration with
Natalie Beisswanger(denhamlily.com)
Fragile
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A book about Australian nature - artistic, informative, inspiring
Following the tradition of alchemical experimentation, we fuse contrasting elements: Australian and European culture, art and science, creativity and academic rigor. The result is a captivating blend of visual beauty and intellectual inspiration.
The charming illustrations of Australian artist Natalie Beisswanger are the perfect way to bring the amazing plants and animals of her homeland to life. I thoroughly enjoyed researching each of her subjects, finding out how the species looked, its role in the environment and its behaviour. I drew on both traditional Aboriginal knowledge and the latest research. I also weave historical and cultural contexts into my narrative, drawing inspiration from classic natural history works of the Age of Enlightenment. Our goal is straightforward: to provide readers with factual information and a captivating essence and beauty of Australia's flora and fauna.
Nature lovers and globetrotters of all ages will love this book. At the same time, we want to dispel once and for all the cliché of Australia as a 'hostile' fifth continent. With this in mind, our vivid portraits invite you to discover the Australian biome, which is so fundamentally different from European ecosystems. Our work also provides the expert reader with deep insights and detailed descriptions of lesser-known Australian species.
In short, we want to create an artfully illustrated non-fiction book - a picture book that informs and inspires. As a bilingual team, we plan to publish the book in both English and German to reach a wide audience.