The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco

[carmelitenovice]

Hello:

A loved one has gifted me with the Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco – has anyone here read it? It sounds like there are anti-Catholic bits in it but I can’t seem to find anything definitive.

Can anyone give their advice on whether this should be read or not?

Thanks.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Ther reviews at Amazon are evenly spread. I have not read it but I have read three other books by Him. Love The Name of the Rose,* Island of the Day Before was crazy and did not have much of an ending. Foucault’s Pendulum *I did not even finish.

 

[Kaninchen]

Hello:

A loved one has gifted me with the Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco – has anyone here read it? It sounds like there are anti-Catholic bits in it but I can’t seem to find anything definitive.

Can anyone give their advice on whether this should be read or not?

Thanks.

I’ve read it but I’m Jewish so what might seem ‘anti-Catholic’ to you might not seem ‘anti-Catholic’ to me.

I think you have to accept that amongst Catholics, as is the case with all groups of humans, there are some very naughty people, some quite bonkers people, some people who will believe any old conspiracy theory that comes along and some people who will profit from that. Quite a number of them turn up in ‘Prague Cemetery’.

I can imagine that it could be quite discomforting but sometimes we need that - I find reading about things like the activities of the Jewish Ghetto authorities and Jewish police during the Shoah deeply discomforting but I think it’s important to confront the discomforting.

 

[carmelitenovice]

Thanks for the responses, please keep them coming.

I wasn’t sure what to make of this:

"I think you have to accept that amongst Catholics, as is the case with all groups of humans, there are some very naughty people, some quite bonkers people, some people who will believe any old conspiracy theory that comes along and some people who will profit from that. Quite a number of them turn up in ‘Prague Cemetery’.

I can imagine that it could be quite discomforting but sometimes we need that - I find reading about things like the activities of the Jewish Ghetto authorities and Jewish police during the Shoah deeply discomforting but I think it’s important to confront the discomforting."

Of course, I well know that the Catholic Church “is not a museum of saints but a hospital for sinners” and that there have been Catholics who have done many bad things in the name of their faith (just as there have been such people in other faiths). I also know that many Catholics, even among the clergy, have been poorly taught. However, I think there is a big difference in saying something like “Father X did thus-and-so” and “The Catholic Church did (and/or taught) thus-and-so.”

I am also aware there are writers (and others) who somehow enjoy making the Catholic Church the bad guy in all things. (Take Dan Brown and “The Da Vinci Code”, for example. While it is fiction, he has a disclaimer in the front of the book claiming it is fact.) Is this what Eco does in The Prague Cemetery?

I guess I still need clarification: Is the book fiction masquerading as fact? Does the book paint the Catholic Church as the evil villain? Is the book worthy of my time and consideration?

Thanks again.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

I guess I still need clarification: Is the book fiction masquerading as fact? Does the book paint the Catholic Church as the evil villain? Is the book worthy of my time and consideration?

Thanks again.

Only if you enjoy it. That is its only purpose.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I did not read the book, but I saw the movie In the Name of the Rose or Name of the Rose. Not sure of the title. The movie starred Sean Connery and was very good. It was set in a monastery and there were monks, but I never thought of it as anti-catholic.
Did anyone else see it as that?
I have not read any of his other books.

 

[carmelitenovice]

“Only if you enjoy it. That is its only purpose.”

Not necessarily: I enjoy drinking a cool glass of water but if there is only one drop of arsenic in it, it’s still deadly poison, even if I don’t know it’s there. So, I’m asking if there is any “arsenic” deadly to my faith in this book.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

“Only if you enjoy it. That is its only purpose.”

Not necessarily: I enjoy drinking a cool glass of water but if there is only one drop of arsenic in it, it’s still deadly poison, even if I don’t know it’s there. So, I’m asking if there is any “arsenic” deadly to my faith in this book.

How solid is your faith? Remember, the book is fiction. And though with historical novels it is sometimes difficult to tell where fact crosses into fiction, and that was a problem I has with Foucault Pendulum, I don’t think you need to worry about it poisoning your faith. If your concern is strong than do not read it. But there is nothing wrong with asking questions and doing research in to questions.

I find Eco to be very cerebral. I usually have to make a word list of words he uses and I have to look up. I am intrigued though and I think I will download the preview of this one on my nook.

 

[carmelitenovice]

Thank you for your thoughtful comments, especially Michael. Indeed it is hard to tell when historical fiction crosses the line into purported fact.

To answer his question: I consider my faith to be fairly solid but I try to avoid materials that directly attack it (which is why I asked the question about this book in the first place). I think I will quietly ditch this one. I’ve got enough to read without wasting time on questionable stuff. (While I couldn’t find anything directly related to how Mr. Eco treats the Catholic Church in this one, the implication is that it is negative. Amazon reviews say it is a rather dull slog and anti-semitic to boot – who needs that?)

Thanks again.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Thank you for your thoughtful comments, especially Michael. Indeed it is hard to tell when historical fiction crosses the line into purported fact.

To answer his question: I consider my faith to be fairly solid but I try to avoid materials that directly attack it (which is why I asked the question about this book in the first place). I think I will quietly ditch this one. I’ve got enough to read without wasting time on questionable stuff. (While I couldn’t find anything directly related to how Mr. Eco treats the Catholic Church in this one, the implication is that it is negative. Amazon reviews say it is a rather dull slog and anti-semitic to boot – who needs that?)

Thanks again.

I read a few pages in the first chapter The first character seems anti-everyone. When ever I start to read Eco I seem to ask myself, “Why am I still reading this?” I do not find him enjoyable. But I did enjoy Name of the Rose way back in 1983 because I have a strong Franciscan interest. He is so stuffy.