I have never much liked novels in translation, nor long novels in general without some guarantee I would like them. What I had read over the years about Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose seemed more off-putting than attractive, though random quotes by Eco have often seemed quite wise, and there were elements that seemed to fit my reading.
Now it appears I shall have to make an attempt at it. Reading about the book in another context, the detective attempting to solve the murders comes in the end face-to-face with Jorge, a blind monk who is librarian of a labyrinthine library in the monastery - and the probable murderer. I thought it merely an amusing accident at first, but in a moment's considering of the theme and the date of composition, wondered whether this monk was a tribute and reference to an actual person. When I learned that the monk's full name was Jorge of Burges, I was then sure: Eco was paying tribute to Jorge Luis Borges, one of my favorite writers.
I looked it up just to make sure I wasn't imagining the connection, but it is well-established.
9 comments:
Just as a data point, I liked The Name of the Rose a lot, translation or no translation. Characters and (especially) plot seemed more important than the prose, which may have a lot to do with that.
I no doubt missed a lot of the references because I wasn't fully familiar with the literary world (and I never got around to finishing Aristotle), but the book stands up fine without them. By all means give it a whirl.
I'm with James; I liked it when I read it years ago.
The historical wealth in Ecco's books is incredible . Worth the read in every aspect ,even culinary .
Cheers
You never liked The Three Musketeers? Not even at eighteen? It's a novel that surely has an hour at which, if encountered just then, would entice any worthy youth.
I was put off by its being French. Such was my thinking then. The movie came out in college and swayed me a bit.
Well, now, I hated the movie. But I loved the way the young men who were the heroes of the story loved each other, and yet betrayed each other at every turn. It was such a beautifully illustrated marker of teenaged friendship that I didn't recognize how badly we were all behaving until I re-read it as an adult. :)
Did you read Jorge in translation?
BTW, from recent news, relating to an observation you made some time back about politicians working for us or fighting for us: Scott Walker announced that he would "fight" for us.
@james - that depresses me profoundly. I can make a ready excuse that the world has turned and it's the conservatives that must fight in order to survive now, but it is still a sea-change of the first order.
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