328:, plays a key role in reconciliation between the Emperor and the Alessandria townspeople, who are led by Baudolino's biological father; a way is found for the Emperor to recognize Alessandria's independence without losing face. (It is no accident that Alessandria is Umberto Eco's own hometown.) During the siege, Baudolino works on the side of Frederick Barbarossa, but concocts a plan to help win the Alessandrian townspeople independence. He attempts to convince the emperor's forces that Alessandria is more prepared for a siege than them through stuffing a cow with the last of Alessandria's wheat and sends the cow out to the Emperor's forces. When the cow is cut open, it reveals a full belly of wheat. The emperor's forces are convinced that Alessandria is not worth besieging, and thus leave.
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404:, Baudolino and surviving members of his band of friends return to Constantinople undergoing the agony of the Fourth Crusade – the book's starting point. Niketas Choniates helps Baudolino discover the truth about how the Emperor Frederick died – with shattering results for Baudolino and his friends.
346:
After the
Emperor's death, Baudolino and his friends set off on a long journey, encompassing 15 years, to find the Kingdom of Prester John. From the moment when they depart eastwards, the book becomes pure fantasy – the lands which the band travels bearing no resemblance to the continent of Asia at
323:
The earlier parts of the story follow the general historical and geographical outlines of 12th-century Europe, with special emphasis on the
Emperor Frederick's futile efforts to subdue the increasingly independent and assertive city states of Northern Italy. Baudolino, both a beloved adopted son to
335:, is a key element of the plot. This part involves an element of secret history – the book asserts that Emperor Frederick had not drowned in a river, as history records, but died mysteriously at night while hosted at the castle of a sinister Armenian noble. This part also constitutes a
347:
that or any other historical time, being rather derived from the various myths which
Europeans had about Asia – including the aforementioned Christian myth of the Kingdom of Prester John, as well as the Jewish myth of the
746:(2.5 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "Though they were careful to express respect for his past work,many critics had a field day blasting Eco’s newest novel".
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and saves his life. Niketas is amazed by his language genius, speaking many languages he has never heard, and
Baudolino begins to recount his life story to Niketas.
248:, a historically-attested hermit of the eighth century, is the Patron Saint of Alessandria, and thus it would be natural for a boy born there to bear his name.
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His story begins in 1155, when
Baudolino – a highly talented Italian peasant boy – is sold to and adopted by the emperor
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Jan/Feb 2003 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a
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After many disastrous adventures, the destruction of
Prester John's Kingdom by the
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the
Emperor and a loyal native of the newly founded and highly rebellious town of
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creation myth (Gnosticism is a pervasive presence in another of Eco's novels,
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Baudolino – young man of
Alessandria, protagonist, apparently a reference to
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about the adventures of a man named
Baudolino in the known and mythical
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Various strange characters figuring in the novel as rendered in the
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Deacon John, leprous sub-ruler of
Pndapetzim, apparently based on
468:. These creatures and many others were all described and named by
767:), Pub date ? ? 2000, hardback (First edition, Italian)
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that has thrown the city into chaos. In the confusion, he meets
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The incident of the death of Emperor Frederick, while on the
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and learns about the power struggles and battles of northern
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followed by a long stint of slavery at the hands of the
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Cultural depictions of Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
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1177:
19:For Baudolino, patron saint of Alessandria, see
379:. At one point, he falls in love with a female
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383:-like creature who recounts to him the full
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355:, and some earlier accounts provided by
294:In Paris, he gains friends (such as the
553:Gagliaudo Aulari, legendary saviour of
238:was translated into English in 2001 by
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800:), Pub date 15 October 2002, hardcover
937:
848:), Pub date 6 October 2003, paperback
803:2002, France, Grasset and Fasquelle (
789:), Pub date 15 October 2002, hardback
1072:The Search for the Perfect Language
1021:The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
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651:(unknown except through his poetry)
543:Other fictional or legendary beings
13:
908:An interview with Umberto Eco for
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440:
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256:In the year of 1204, Baudolino of
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1211:Fiction with unreliable narrators
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829:2003, Italy, Fabbri - RCS Libri (
1080:Six Walks in the Fictional Woods
781:2002, UK, Secker & Warburg (
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643:Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy
16:Historical novel by Umberto Eco
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930:- wiki annotations of Baudolino
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1226:Novels set in the 13th century
1221:Novels set in the 12th century
1206:Cultural depictions of Hypatia
859:
770:2001, Brazil, Editora Record (
158:528 pp (U.S. hardback edition)
1:
852:
339:– specifically, a historical
1005:The Island of the Day Before
878:. p. 58. Archived from
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677:Stephen Hagiochristophorites
523:indeterminacy of translation
337:historical detective mystery
7:
1191:20th-century Italian novels
928:Umberto Eco Wiki: Baudolino
633:The Old Man of the Mountain
528:The putative successors of
287:at the time. He is sent to
232:world of the 12th century.
10:
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840:2003, USA, Harvest Books (
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920:An excerpt from the book
664:A member of the ancient
517:Gavagai, a reference to
536:Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
402:Old Man of the Mountain
171:(U.S. hardback edition)
38:First edition (Italian)
456:
446:
434:
424:
308:Wolfram von Eschenbach
1216:Novels by Umberto Eco
1120:The Infinity of Lists
1104:Kant and the Platypus
792:2002, USA, Harcourt (
672:Andronicus I Comnenus
530:Hypatia of Alexandria
454:
444:
432:
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291:to become a scholar.
1163:The Name of the Rose
1155:The Name of the Rose
1096:Belief or Nonbelief?
989:The Name of the Rose
912:, September 11, 2000
618:Frederick Barbarossa
465:Nuremberg Chronicles
209:PQ4865.C6 B3813 2002
97:Secker & Warburg
1029:The Prague Cemetery
997:Foucault's Pendulum
390:Foucault's Pendulum
341:locked room mystery
82:speculative fiction
28:
875:Bookmarks Magazine
715:Bookmarks Magazine
687:The Venerable Bede
638:Pope Alexander III
475:Naturalis Historiæ
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359:. Baudolino meets
26:
1231:Postmodern novels
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1172:
1166:(2019 miniseries)
628:Rainald of Dassel
623:Niketas Choniates
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270:Niketas Choniates
264:, unaware of the
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300:Robert de Boron
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887:. Retrieved
880:the original
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1186:2000 novels
1158:(1986 film)
1139:On Ugliness
1048:Non-fiction
1037:Numero Zero
965:Umberto Eco
867:"Baudolino"
814:2002, USA,
601:Cynocephaly
555:Alessandria
326:Alessandria
277:Frederick I
258:Alessandria
226:Umberto Eco
197:853/.914 21
48:Umberto Eco
1180:Categories
1088:Ur-Fascism
889:14 January
853:References
692:White Huns
668:noble clan
612:Historical
455:Large Ears
398:White Huns
54:Translator
27:Baudolino
1150:(journal)
1013:Baudolino
708:Reception
571:Manticore
494:(above).
486:(top); a
433:Devil Man
410:Baudolino
357:Herodotos
353:Sambation
298:, Abdul,
236:Baudolino
230:Christian
224:novel by
217:Baudolino
148:paperback
144:Hardcover
88:Publisher
757:Bompiani
666:Artsruni
649:Archpoet
586:Blemmyes
566:Basilisk
488:blemmyae
445:Headless
373:skiapods
369:Blemmyes
365:unicorns
313:Parzival
296:Archpoet
184:49002024
102:Harcourt
92:Bompiani
64:Language
1131:Related
660:Rahewin
596:Unicorn
591:Panotti
576:Chimera
515:monopod
492:panotti
480:monopod
472:in his
385:Gnostic
377:pygmies
361:eunuchs
260:enters
142:Print (
94:(Italy)
68:Italian
1147:Versus
1123:(2009)
1115:(1998)
1107:(1997)
1099:(1996)
1091:(1995)
1083:(1994)
1075:(1993)
1067:(1973)
1059:(1968)
1040:(2015)
1032:(2011)
1024:(2005)
1016:(2001)
1008:(1995)
1000:(1989)
992:(1983)
981:Novels
844:
833:
822:
807:
796:
785:
774:
763:
581:Satyrs
490:and a
482:and a
44:Author
883:(PDF)
870:(PDF)
519:Quine
484:satyr
381:satyr
289:Paris
285:Italy
281:Latin
220:is a
155:Pages
123:Italy
104:(USA)
74:Genre
891:2023
842:ISBN
831:ISBN
820:ISBN
805:ISBN
794:ISBN
783:ISBN
772:ISBN
761:ISBN
647:The
549:Kyot
513:The
375:and
304:Kyot
302:and
222:2000
178:OCLC
164:ISBN
114:2000
99:(UK)
712:On
606:Roc
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