'Peter Stanford makes the life of Luther into a thrilling narrative, told from the perspective of the modern Catholic' Antonia Fraser

Martin Luther is undeniably one of the makers of the modern world. He risked his life to challenge the corruption and complacency of late medieval Catholicism, and did it so effectively that his Protestant Reformation broke the stranglehold that the Church of Rome exerted on Europe, redefined the spheres of Church and State, and liberated individual believers to pursue their faith in a way that was based on scripture and conscience rather than the often-arbitrary rules handed down by priests and bishops. From the radical changes he wrought developed the ideas of liberty and freedom of conscience that thereafter informed every generation up to our own.

On the 500th anniversary of Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Peter Stanford examines the man, the myth and the mass movement that his act of rebellion provoked. This intimate portrait, drawing extensively on Luther's own remarkable voice, explores this complex, often charismatic man of God and confronts those darker sides to his character that can distance him from contemporary audiences.

A cradle Catholic himself, Stanford finds in the current close relationship between Catholicism and Lutheranism - joint hosts of the anniversary celebrations - an encouraging sign for our age: intractable and bloody religious disputes can, with time, be healed. Far from being gloomy, as is his reputation, Martin Luther brings new light; in this and many other ways, he is a man of the moment.

Peter Stanford is a writer, journalist and broadcaster. His previous investigations into the history, theology and cultural significance of religious ideas include The Devil - A Biography, Heaven - A Traveller's Guide to the Undiscovered Country, The She-Pope and Judas: The Troubling History of the Renegade Apostle. He is a former editor of the Catholic Herald, and writes for the Daily and Sunday Telegraph titles, as well as The Observer and The Tablet. His biography of Lord Longford was made into the BAFTA- and Golden Globe-winning film, Longford, and he has presented TV versions of his other books, including Channel 4's Catholics and Sex. He is director of the Longford Trust for prison reform.