The galley slave is a tour de force of historical fiction centered on an Everyman of indeterminate origins named Johan Ot, who is part picaresque antihero, part Josef K. Driven by a restlessness that he can barely comprehend, Ot consorts with merchants, peasants, pilgrims, pagans, heretics, thieves and prostitutes, while continually trying to evade the forces of the Inquisition.
