Books › Baudolino
Baudolino
First published 2005 · 665 pages
A labyrinthine, wildly inventive romp through medieval history where lies become truth and myths shape reality.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like sitting in a smoky, chaotic medieval tavern listening to the world's most charming liar spin a yarn that might just be the secret history of the world. The pace is unapologetically meandering, inviting you to get lost in dense thickets of theological debate, linguistic puzzles, and bizarre mythological creatures. It is a carnivalesque and deeply erudite experience, wrapping profound philosophical questions about truth, history, and the power of storytelling inside a sprawling picaresque adventure. The prose is exuberant and layered, demanding patience but rewarding it with wry humor and staggering imagination. It will thoroughly delight readers who love historical labyrinths, unreliable narrators, and the joyful absurdity of human myth-making.
- Mood
- carnivalesque
- labyrinthine
- mythic
- chaotic
- Tone
- wry
- playful
- erudite
- cynical
- picaresque
- Pace
- meandering
- Themes
- the power of lies · creation of history · myth versus reality · the search for utopia · absurdity of human endeavor
- The writing
- Exuberant, dense, and heavily layered with medieval pastiche, philosophical digressions, and linguistic playfulness.
- The arc
- From wide-eyed, opportunistic youth through a chaotic, illusion-filled quest, ending in a bittersweet, philosophical acceptance of the power of myth.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love getting lost in historical minutiae, unreliable narrators, and philosophical puzzles wrapped in a picaresque adventure.
Content notes
- war violence
- sexual content
- religious persecution
About the book
Born a simple peasant in northern Italy, Baudolino narrates the story of his life, from his adoption by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and his education in Paris to his arrival in Constantinople during the turmoil of the Fourth Crusade.
Description from Open Library.
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