Baudolino
by Umberto Eco · first published 2000
56% recommend39% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Historical fiction with a playful, witty narrator that blends medieval history, including Barbarossa, the Crusades, and the siege of Constantinople, with fantastical creatures. It is both hilarious and moving.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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.
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Somewhat tangential, but I started to read Baudolino by Umberto Eco last night, and the first chapter at least takes place during the (it seems) the last siege of Constantinople. So far it has been a wonderful read.
on “The Last Day of Constantinople” ↗The book Baudolino by Umberto Eco has these and many more fantastical creatures. The first half of the book sticks to history (north Italy wars, German emporer Barbarossa, the crusades and Constantinople, etc) but in the…
on “Off with Their Heads: Illustrations of Blemmyes (ca. 1175–1724)” ↗For a therapeutic experience, I recommended you Baudolino by Umberto Eco, a book of hilarious historical fiction. The first couple of chapters use the device of imperfections of the narrator's language in an even more in-your-face manner.
on “The Delusion Machine – What happened when I fed my soul into an LLM” ↗…was a deliberate literary choice, I won't spoil it by explaining the rationale, but it does make sense). Foucault's Pendulum is the magnum opus. Edit: after In the Name of the Rose I'd probably go with Baudolino, but FP is a valid choice as well.
on “Umberto Eco: Exploring Imaginary Lands With One of Italy’s Masters of Fiction” ↗I really think his novels are 50% hit or miss. "Foucalt's pendulum" was great, "the island of the day before" meh, "Baudolino" was great, "queen loana's flame" was disappointing (I haven't read "Prague's cemetery" yet). But: this isn't a novel, so different rules apply. Also, amazon has 12 reviews for it all with 5 stars :)
on “Umberto Eco on the Greatest Maps of Imaginary Places (2014)” ↗Nobody has suggested Umberto Eco yet.I would try The Island of the Day Before or Baudolino before Foucault's Pendulum. Alistair Reynolds is space opera done nicely (if you want to look in that direction). Chasm City stands on its own, but there are some similar works there. Twain fits in…
on “Ask HN: What are some good books?” ↗I just pulled Baudolino back off the shelf this morning, going to try to make it through this time. I love the idea of the untrustworthy narrator, and the writing is excellent, though dense. like Foucault's Pendulum, I find…
on “Umberto Eco has died” ↗Loved that pun from Baudolino by Umberto Eco: "I know, Master Niketas, that the center of the universe is your city here, but the world is vaster than your empire, and there's even Ultima Thule and the land of Hibernians. True, compared…
on “Words for “yes” in Romance languages” ↗Umberto Eco. Don't start with Foucault's Pendulum, his other books are shorter and probably more accessible. I really like The Island of the Day Before and Baudolino.
on “Ask HN: Best Fiction” ↗Baudolino by Umberto Eco. I like all his works, but this one is the most moving and epic. I still think of it.
on “Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?” ↗Baudolino from Umberto Eco (an excellent book) is partially about that, I recommend the read !
on “The Mongol Khans of Medieval France” ↗…(Goethe), Anathem (Stephenson), Paradise Lost (Milton), The Sirens of Titan (Vonnegut), The Claw of the Conciliator (Gene Wolfe), The Urth of the New Sun (Gene Wolfe), The Number of the Beast (Heinlein), Baudolino (Umberto Eco), The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follet), Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig), I Robot (Asimov)
on “Tell HN: Free Books (apartment clearing)” ↗Foucault's Pendulum gets my vote too if you want to read something that is as straight forward as Eco can get. The Island of the Day Before, Baudolino and The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana felt more like he was trying to test you, in each of those books, to see if you are worthy of consuming the entire book. Every time you feel you have a reasonable…
on “Umberto Eco: Exploring Imaginary Lands With One of Italy’s Masters of Fiction” ↗I loved Foucault's Pendulum, really liked The Island Of The Day Before, and quite liked The Name of the Rose. I have been meaning to get round to reading Baudolino for fifteen years.
on “Umberto Eco on the Greatest Maps of Imaginary Places (2014)” ↗…really dig the story at the time, but I can recall struggling to get my head around some his prose because he was just on a whole different level from the other books I had been reading back then. I read Baudolino some years ago, but didn't come away from it with the same sense of awe that I got from reading Name of the Rose, or Foucault's Pendulum.
on “Umberto Eco has died” ↗