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The most playful of historical novelists, Umberto Eco has absorbed the real lesson of history: that there is no such thing as the absolute truth. In Baudolino, he hands his narrative to an Italian peasant who has managed, through good luck and a clever tongue, to become the adopted son of the Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa, and a minister of his court in the closing years of the 12th century. Baudolino's other gift is for spontaneous but convincing lies, and so his unfolding tale--as recounted in 1204 to a nobleman of Constantinople, while the fires of the Fourth Crusade rage around them--exemplifies the Cretan Liar's Paradox: He can't be believed. Why not, then, make his story as outrageous as possible? In the course of his picaresque tale, Baudolino manages to touch on nearly every major theme, conflict, and boondoggle of the Middle Ages: the Crusades; the troubadours; the legend of the Holy Grail; the rise of the cathedral cities; the position of Jews; the market in relics; the local rivalries that made Italy so vulnerable to outside attack; and the perennial power struggles between the pope and the emperor. With the help of alcohol and a mysterious Moorish concoction called "green honey," Baudolino and his ragtag friends engage in typical scholastic debates of the period, trying to determine the dimensions of Solomon's Temple and the location of the Earthly Paradise. And when the Emperor needs support in his claims for saintly lineage, who but Baudolino can craft the perfect letter of homage from the legendary Prester John, Holy (and wholly fictitious) Christian King of the East? A giddy and exasperating romp, Baudolino will draw you into its labyrinthine inventions and half-truths, even if you know better. --Regina Marler
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
In another grand mythical epic, Eco transports readers to the medieval Italy of The Name of the Rose (though almost two centuries earlier), where Frederick Barbarossa seeks to establish himself as the Holy Roman emperor. The story begins in 1204, as the Byzantium capital of Constantinople is sacked and Baudolino, the adoptive son of Frederick, recounts his life to Byzantine historian Niketas, whom he has just saved from the barbaric Latins. Unfolding amid religious conspiracy theories and mysticism, the narrative, which builds slowly, follows the life of Baudolino, an Italian peasant boy who fabricates stories he realizes people want to believe in. While studying in Paris, Baudolino meets several friends from all over the world, who together divulge their intimate dreams and share their desire to discover distant places. Two decades later, Baudolino calls together his friends to embark on what will be a lifelong journey to find Prester John, the Christian priest of the East, whose fabled reputation Baudolino has helped create. Eco seems to loosen the reins when the friends set out across unknown territories, where they grope through an eternally dark forest; traverse a river of stones and boulders; and encounter such mythical creatures as the sled-footed skiapods, dog-headed cynocephali and the Hypatia, beautiful sirens with the legs of goats. While the pilgrims are aware, to a certain extent, of Baudolino's truth-stretching, they all come to believe in their search, as does Baudolino himself. Eco builds his story upon light theological and historical debates, though fiction and history are more evenly balanced than in his previous book, The Island of the Day Before, making for a more engaging read. While this book lacks the suspense of The Name of the Rose, it is nevertheless a spirited story that might offer those previously daunted by his writing a more accessible entrée.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Rattisbon Anno Domini mense decembri mclv Cronicle of Baudolino of the fammily of Aulario. Read the first page
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Rattisbon Anno Domini mense decembri mclv Cronicle of Baudolino of the fammily of Aulario. Read the first page
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Eco's Fanciful Fantasy,
By
This review is from: Baudolino: A Novel (Paperback)
'Baudolino' is a fanciful and mythical novel by Umberto Eco, set in the twelfth century Europe and the Near East. Eco, best known for his masterwork 'The Name of the Rose,' returns with 'Baudolino' to the theme medieval Europe, albeit of somewhat earlier date. The eponymous protagonist of this novel finds himself adopted by an accident by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, which sets him on the path of high adventure. During Baudolino's years of study in Paris, he befriends a motely crew of thinkers, poets, and adventurers, and with their help conjures a plan to discover the land of mythical Prester John, who supposedly lives somewhere far in the East. Most of the second half of the novel concerns the journey of Baudolino and his companions. Most of the stories in here are told from the Baudolino's perspective, as he narrates them to Niketas Choniates, a famous twelfth century Byzantine historian, whose life he had saved during the sacking of Constantinople.Frederick I and Niketas Choniates are just a couple of actual historical characters who appear in 'Baudolino' under very unusual and highly fabricated circumstances. Eco knows his history very well, and is able to push the plausibility into the lacunae of our knowledge and fill them up with fanciful interconnected narrative. In the latter part of the book, though, he almost completely abandons any appeal to realism, and takes the reader on a wild ride through some of the most fantastic and imaginative scenes taken from the medieval myth and lore. Both readers and the literary critics have not in general been impressed by any of the Eco's fictional works, with the notable exception of the 'Name of the Rose.' That book had propelled Eco well into the stratosphere of modern literary celebrities, and he's been able to capitalize on that reputation for the better part of the last three decades. Unfortunately, 'Baudolino' does nothing to repair the generally low impression that Eco's later novels had left. Despite the dazzling displays of erudition and mastery of medieval history and lore, the novel doesn't have a sense of unified and coherent narrative. The characters are very colorful, but they lack the depth of emotion and are not very convincing as actual flash and blood individuals. It's almost as if Eco had tried to develop every character around a particular idea. This can sometimes work in a short story, but in order for the reader to care about them over the course of a long novel, they needed to poses a lot more verisimilitude to the actual human beings. Parts of the novel are intended as a tongue-in-cheek criticism and lampooning of the medieval inter-Christian controversies and disputes. This in itself has some appeal, and it leads to some of the funnier situations and scenes in the book, but even here Eco manages to go overboard and overwork his points. Overall, 'Baudolino' is an interesting exercise in adapting comedia dell'arte for the modern audience, but unfortunately it is too overwrought and overstylized for it to be either amusing or engrossingly thought provoking. It's still an interesting enough novel, and if you are into the medieval history then you'll find a lot of curious and fascinating material in it.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping,
By Jennifer Stueben (New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Baudolino (Hardcover)
Umberto Eco is, in my openion, almost without compare as teh literati of the historical epic. Baudolino does not compare to his other works; however, little does. Truth or dilusion . . . what is a lie, and what is reality. Bravo for Baudolino.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
The pilgrims lose faith along the way,
This review is from: Baudolino: A Novel (Paperback)
Umberto Eco is probably single-handedly responsible for inspiring the academic dimension of my high school and undergraduate imagination. However, I now shun his more recent efforts. (And I even read Travels in Hyperreality and How to Travel with a Salmon!)With Baudolino, it would seem that Eco aims not merely to illustrate the medieval world but to articulate that world through a medieval mind. The result is, sadly, next to nonsense. I had great expectations for Baudolino - set amidst the Crusades, after all! Despite my gratitude and respect for the author of the magnificent "Name of the Rose" and "Foucault's Pendulum", what I learned most from "Baudolino" is the courage to stop reading a book that no longer seems interesting or relevant to me. If you have never read Umberto Eco, I can only recommend "Rose" and "Pendulum". The hapless "Island of the Day Before" spirals on to a dull colophon that is as unsatisfying as "Baudolino". I haven't picked up "Queen Loana" but I figure I've now traded my time for other reads.
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