During
the sacking and burning of
Constantinople in the year 1204
an adventurer saves the life of
renowned historian Master
Niketas. Baudolino and his
companions
take Master Niketas
and his family to safety in a
neighbouring town by smuggling
them out of their beleaguered
town. In exchange for
their safe passage Baudolino
requests that Master Niketas
record his story, which begins
with him being saved from a life
of obscurity when he is adopted
by the Emperor of the time.
A
self-proclaimed liar Baudolino
relates a fantastic tale rich in
mythical, religious and cultural
icons. His adventures in
search of the famous Prestor
John lead him through strange
lands and bring him and his
party into contact with
previously unheard of creatures.
Along the way he loses some of
his companions and encounters
dangers he had never before
imagined.
Umberto
Eco has created a rather
confusing tale in the story of
Baudolino. The language
was stilted and it was no
surprise to read that it was
actually a translation from
another language. I feel
that this was where most of the
problems with this novel arose
for me as the passages didn’t
flow smoothly and I needed to
re-read some parts to fully
grasp what was being said.
Whilst I acknowledge the
accuracy of the historical
timeframes within this
novel overall I wasn’t
impressed with this effort from
Umberto Eco.
