The Secret Supper: A Novel
by Javier Sierra
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Book Summary Information
Author: Javier SierraTranslator: Alberto Manguel
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-03-20
ISBN: 0743287657
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780743287654
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Secret Supper: A Novel
Book Review: Secrets and lies
Summary: 3 Stars
T
"The Secret Supper" by Javier Sierra is,perhaps,the spanish answer to"
The DaVinci Code",in that it claims,in the form of a novel,to have uncovered "secret" truths hidden in works of art by great masters..In this case the work of art in question is"The Last Supper" by Leonardo Da Vinci,and the secret in question has to do with the Gnostic view of the christian religion..While it is hardly a secret that,in its prime,the church of Rome made every effort to blot out all rival faiths,especially those that disputed its version of the christian message,Sierra's novel contends that in painting"The Last Supper" Da Vinci made it a point to symbolicly spell out certain Cathar notions involving truth and spirituality that directly conflicted with the prevailing roman catholic versions...
Well written,the book covers no truly new ground..The climax,while revealing,is rather a let down..
What I find interesting in all of this"Da Vinci Code" inspired work is that so many moderns are surprised by the thought that a major religion might actually be with-holding truths that not only compromise thier own alledged"divine" mission,but that the mission itself might be bogus from the get-go..It is easy enough for Sierra to place his story within the time-frame in which he did,in that the"holy" inquisition was then still active,the roman church was still quite powerful and was still in the act of blotting out any doctrine or group that disagreed with it's self-proclaimed religious superiority..And,since the publication of "The Da Vinci Code" the notion that Da Vinci himself was a"heretic" whose works of art contains clues to another truth that is at odds with the "official" roman catholic version certainly gives the story told by Sierra a certain mysteriousness..Still,in the end,and despite the reactions of the vatican and/or the howls of protest by that church's loyalists,it is-or should be-apparent that the religion alledgedly taught by Christ and the mainstream forms such as those taught by the vatican have little in common...Given the seriousness of some historian-detectives to find and publish the truth,and the unwillingness of the vatican to admit to it,such fictional devices as"The Secret Supper" deserve our attention..On the other hand the book does tend to be confusing,especially with regards to the rather oblique manner in which these truths are revealed...Indeed,one must almost be an historian oneself to be able to pick up on the clues offered and the explainations given..Still,the book is worth one's time and attention,if for no other reason that to start one thinking along non-mainstream lines.
Summary of The Secret Supper: A Novel
Milan, 1497: Leonardo da Vinci is completing his masterpiece, The Last Supper. Pope Alexander VI is determined to execute him after realizing that the painting contains clues to a baffling -- and blasphemous -- message, which he is determined to decode. The Holy Grail and the Eucharistic Bread are missing, there is no meat on the table and, shockingly, the apostles are portraits of well-known heretics -- none of them depicted with halos. And why has the artist painted himself into the scene with his back turned toward Jesus? The clues to Leonardo's greatest puzzle are right before your eyes....The Da Vinci juggernaut rolls on, this time in the capable hands of a bestselling author in the Spanish-speaking world. The Secret Supper has been ably translated by Alberto Manguel, author of A History of Reading, that delightful revelation that squiggles on a page are words, and words make stories. Set in 1497 Milan, at the time of the painting of the Cenacolo, or The Last Supper, in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Sierra has created a tale of religious fanaticism, betrayal, murder, Church politics, artistic chicanery and mystery to confound the reader.
Fra Agostino Leyre, a Papal Inquisitor, is sent to Milan to confirm--or not--the messages of the "Soothsayer," who alleges that Leonardo Da Vinci is a heretic and has hidden heretical messages in his painting of The Last Supper. Leonardo is a figure larger than life, literally. A blue-eyed, tall, handsome man, always dressed in white, he is surrounded by faithful students and friends who are his acolytes. His brilliant mind, ranging over a multitude of ideas, has gained him a reputation for "hiding heterodox ideas in paintings apparently pious."
What Father Agostino follows is a labyrinthine path through alliances and rivalries, differences of opinion about Leonardo and a discussion of the heresy of the Cathars. They are a fascinating sect, more extra-Christianity than Christian heretics. Their practices are based on a belief that certain deprivations--primarily food and sex--will purify and make them worthy. Sierra is a very fine guide, taking the reader through palaces and monasteries rife with intrigue and typical of the flowering of intellect that came after the Dark Ages. It is a time when "Suddenly, from one day to the next, Plato's Greece, Cleopatra's Egypt and even the extravagant curiosities of the Chinese Empire that Marco Polo discovered seemed to deserve greater praise than our own Scriptural stories." Dangerous for the incumbency.
A compelling case is made that Leonardo's heretical beliefs are there for all to see in The Last Supper, if only we know how to find them. Sierra gives us the key--and keeps the suspense going right up to the end of the book. It isn't necessary to believe any of it, or even care if it's true, to enjoy this pilgrimage through another time and place. --Valerie Ryan
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