The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco is a historical novel depicting the life of an Italian forger and spy, Captain Simonini. The story revolves around Simonini's involvement in the creation of the controversial Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a document that fueled anti-Semitic sentiments leading up to the Holocaust. The book is set in the mid-1800s and includes real historical figures like Dr. Freud, exploring themes of conspiracy, anti-Semitism, and political manipulation.
The narrative style of The Prague Cemetery is intricate and dense, with a focus on historical accuracy and detailed storytelling. The book delves into the dark side of European history, touching on themes of anti-Judaism, anti-Masonic movements, Satanism, and murder. Eco weaves together a complex plot that incorporates real events and people, creating a portrait of a despicable character who plays a significant role in spreading hatred and corruption through forgery and manipulation.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book contains high levels of anti-Semitic rhetoric, violence, and themes of hatred that may be triggering for some readers.
From The Publisher:
The #1 international bestseller, from Umberto Eco, author of The Name of the Rose"Vintage Eco . . . the book is a triumph." - New York Review of BooksNineteenth-century Europe-from Turin to Prague to Paris-abounds with the ghastly and the mysterious. Jesuits plot against Freemasons. Italian republicans strangle priests with their own intestines. French criminals plan bombings by day and celebrate Black Masses at night. Every nation has its own secret service, perpetrating forgeries, plots, and massacres. Conspiracies rule history. From the unification of Italy to the Paris Commune to the Dreyfus Affair to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Europe is in tumult and everyone needs a scapegoat. But what if, behind all of these conspiracies, both real and imagined, lay one lone man? "[Eco] demonstrates once again that his is a voice that compels our attention" - San Francisco Chronicle"Choreographed by a truth that is itself so strange a novelist need hardly expand on it to produce a wondrous tale . . . Eco is to be applauded for bringing this stranger-than-fiction truth vividly to life." - New York Times"Classic Eco, with a difference." - Los Angeles Times
Ratings (6)
Incredible (2) | |
Loved It (2) | |
Liked It (1) | |
It Was OK (1) |
Reader Stats (16):
Read It (6) | |
Want To Read (9) | |
Not Interested (1) |
2 comment(s)
Sooooo.....that happened. I almost put this book down a bunch of times, including the time I literally put it down by dropping it on my cat's head when I fell asleep reading (which happened more than once). At one point I wondered why I was even struggling with it, but I couldn't give myself permission to put it down.
I can tell it's a good book (my good book senses are tingling) but I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I knew more about nineteenth century French and Italian history (and really European history of that era, minus England (damn American public schools!)). I kept getting sucked in by the Simonini/Dalla Piccola mystery, which was the historical part of the fiction.
unreliable narrator
What can you read after
The Prague Cemetery?
About the Author:
UMBERTO ECO (1932-2016) was the author of numerous essay collections and seven novels, including The Name of the Rose,The Prague Cemetery, and Inventing the Enemy. He received Italy's highest literary award, the Premio Strega, was named a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur by the French government, and was an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.RICHARD DIXON lives and works in Italy. His translations include works by Umberto Eco, Roberto Calasso, and Giacomo Leopardi. His translation of The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco was short-listed for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2012.
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