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Conclave
Depois de meses em que os cardeais reunidos em Roma nao chegam a um acordo sobre a eleicao do novo Papa, estranhos boatos comecam a surgir. Um cardeal morre de forma misteriosa, outro tenta fugir, ameacando a paz do Vaticano e o destino da Igreja. Em Conclave o aclamado escritor italiano Roberto Pazzi faz de um evento historico do Ocidente a ocasiao para uma indiscreta radiografia da nossa sociedade.
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
8 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Roberto Pazzi
52 books8 followersAn award winning Italian novelist and poet. His works have been translated into eighteen languages.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 23, 2025
4/23 update: this is not the book the movie was based on🙃
Goofy magical realist book about the election of a new pope. The writing is a little lackluster (and I don't think it's just the translation), we move quite quickly between "plagues" and political angling by the cardinals without much sense of their motivations and worldviews. There's some suspect stuff about African and Asian Catholicism that I really didn't know what to make of.
I hope the movie has scorpions too
Goofy magical realist book about the election of a new pope. The writing is a little lackluster (and I don't think it's just the translation), we move quite quickly between "plagues" and political angling by the cardinals without much sense of their motivations and worldviews. There's some suspect stuff about African and Asian Catholicism that I really didn't know what to make of.
I hope the movie has scorpions too
February 27, 2011
When we think of magical realism, it's usually Gabriel Garcia Marquez that comes to mind. Conclave, by Roberto Pazzi, is another good example of the genre.
While the narrative is (somehow) centered on the figure of the humble and somehow mysterious Cardinal Malvezzi, he is not the book's main character. The true protagonist is the conclave itself, the process with which the Pope is chosen. Months go by and the Cardinals cannot agree on a unanimous choice. While the media loses interest in the twice a day released black smoke, bizarre things happen in the Vatican. A plague of rats, the attemptive escape of full Cardinals, and an embarrassing death, color the solemn reunion.
As these and other impossible events are at work, the author reveals the day-to-day life of the Vatican in its most important assembly, the real reasons for the religious inclination of key characters and their deepest motivations and desires. The political and social background increase the urgency in the decision-making that seems more unreachable at each page.
There are many humorous scenes in this book that drew more than one laugh of me, which are intertwined with deep reflections on religion, vocation and the human condition. Although these reflections are interesting and welcomed, they slow down the reading. Also, I would like to see more details about the external interference by political figures and the media, as well the internal intrigues, which are only outlined in this novel. It feels that the author wanted to bring these processes to light, but he did not dare going too far. I'm really sorry that he didn't, but it's understandable considering that he comes from the very country where the Vatican is set. That said, I highly recommend this unique book.
While the narrative is (somehow) centered on the figure of the humble and somehow mysterious Cardinal Malvezzi, he is not the book's main character. The true protagonist is the conclave itself, the process with which the Pope is chosen. Months go by and the Cardinals cannot agree on a unanimous choice. While the media loses interest in the twice a day released black smoke, bizarre things happen in the Vatican. A plague of rats, the attemptive escape of full Cardinals, and an embarrassing death, color the solemn reunion.
As these and other impossible events are at work, the author reveals the day-to-day life of the Vatican in its most important assembly, the real reasons for the religious inclination of key characters and their deepest motivations and desires. The political and social background increase the urgency in the decision-making that seems more unreachable at each page.
There are many humorous scenes in this book that drew more than one laugh of me, which are intertwined with deep reflections on religion, vocation and the human condition. Although these reflections are interesting and welcomed, they slow down the reading. Also, I would like to see more details about the external interference by political figures and the media, as well the internal intrigues, which are only outlined in this novel. It feels that the author wanted to bring these processes to light, but he did not dare going too far. I'm really sorry that he didn't, but it's understandable considering that he comes from the very country where the Vatican is set. That said, I highly recommend this unique book.
July 14, 2018
Una gran historia muy mal contada.
October 31, 2022
Siempre he pensado que la mejor manera de sacarle partido al género de lo absurdo es narrarlo con toda la normalidad posible. Si vas sin saber nada del libro, las cosas tan descabelladas que comienzan a pasar son como una bofetada en la cara, cosa que entiendo que no sea del gusto de todos. A mi, personalmente, me encanta el absurdo y llevar a su máximo el sinsentido, pero si encima está siendo descrito con un talento como el de Pazzi, se disfruta aún más.
September 7, 2025
Rozumiem, że to metafora - nadal nieco przegięte niektóre rozwiązania.
January 14, 2010
I met this great Italian author at a literary festival in Montreal, Quebec where both of us presented our books. We got along extremely well, but just because I like the man doesn't mean I like his book. But Conclave is a gem - an absurd look at religion and spirituality. This book is surreal, funny, tragic, profound, and after I read it I decided I'll never run for Pope. You'll understand why if you read it ...
February 10, 2013
Luce sui misteri della vita degli uomini di chiesa nell'istituzione politca e religiosa ancora funzionante, più antica della storia umana. Affascinante e intrigante.
March 13, 2025
If you are like me and you've recently watched the movie Conclave and felt disappointed you might get a good kick out of this book. The subject matter is the same: the need to elect a new Pope with a focus on what happens inside the conclave. However, while the movie takes a serious tone and is focused on the main character's rise to prominence while dealing with different struggles that reveal the misgivings of the church, the book is truly bonkers. The cardinals that get together for the conclave are forced to deal not only with seclusion, but also with a range of plagues that generate not only horror, but a lot of hilarity. They have a rat infestation, then they bring in cats to deal with the rats and the cats pee everywhere, scratch everyone, and create havoc. Then come the spiders and the chickens brought to kill them. Finally, there are bats, magic, a sort of exorcism, people going insane with fantasies that the chickens are actually women sent by Satan to provoke them, and everybody seems to be on the brink of despair. Two cardinals try to escape by throwing a rope over a window. These are very old men, most with frail constitutions, some very ill. Some die, one in very mysterious circumstances. The whole process seems to have gone haywire, but they keep on discussing about the future of Catholicism and the one who is most likely to revitalize the faith. While it is deeply irreverent, the book also exposes many issues which the movie left untouched. Would an African pope be the future and how would that future look if we consider the culture existent in Africa? How can these men remain sane when they are clearly human and have human needs? How effective is the conclave in general with its seclusion, constant voting, outside interferences etc.? While this book clearly leaves a stronger impression than the movie, the thing is that all of these elements put together make it seem loong and drawn out and the ending is a bit unsatisfying.
January 14, 2025
Konkláve má vraj žánrovo blízko k magickému realizmu. Škoda, že som to nevedela, predtým, ako som ho začala čítať, inak by som sa možno nezmietala v pochybnostiach, či si je autorovým zámerom ostrá kritika, paródia alebo iba výsmech.
A možno by mi napokon nepomohla ani informácia, že dielo Pazziho občas prirovnávajú k dielu Gabriela Garciu Marqueza. Na rozdiel od takej Kroniky vopred ohlásenej smrti, tento taliansky autor až príliš osciluje medzi (tragi)komédiou a plnou vážnosťou. A odhliadnuc od všetkého ostatného, podiel nezaujímavo a doslova nudne vyrozprávaných zaujímavých vecí, je v Konkláve až zarážajúco vysoký.
Celkový dojem je teda rozpačitý, a to aj napriek dobre zvládnutému koncu a zopár naozaj výstižným myšlienkam. Na druhej strane, konce a myšlienky sú dôležité, takže u mňa to Konkláve napokon dotiahlo na 3 z 5. A aby som nezabudla, prečo, jednu si sem odložím:
„Svätci sú nebezpeční, Cerini mal pravdu, spoznajú sa až po smrti a potom ich možno oslavovať. No za života je aj pre nich užitočné, ak sa ich cnosti vystavia pochybnostiam a prekážkam. Takto si aspoň lepšie zaslúžia raj."
A možno by mi napokon nepomohla ani informácia, že dielo Pazziho občas prirovnávajú k dielu Gabriela Garciu Marqueza. Na rozdiel od takej Kroniky vopred ohlásenej smrti, tento taliansky autor až príliš osciluje medzi (tragi)komédiou a plnou vážnosťou. A odhliadnuc od všetkého ostatného, podiel nezaujímavo a doslova nudne vyrozprávaných zaujímavých vecí, je v Konkláve až zarážajúco vysoký.
Celkový dojem je teda rozpačitý, a to aj napriek dobre zvládnutému koncu a zopár naozaj výstižným myšlienkam. Na druhej strane, konce a myšlienky sú dôležité, takže u mňa to Konkláve napokon dotiahlo na 3 z 5. A aby som nezabudla, prečo, jednu si sem odložím:
„Svätci sú nebezpeční, Cerini mal pravdu, spoznajú sa až po smrti a potom ich možno oslavovať. No za života je aj pre nich užitočné, ak sa ich cnosti vystavia pochybnostiam a prekážkam. Takto si aspoň lepšie zaslúžia raj."
September 12, 2018
Una visión cómica y a veces surrealista de un cónclave para la lección de un nuevo Papa.
LA novela desborda imaginación en las situaciones y a la vez da ideas y pistas de lo que puede ocurrir o como se van formando los bloques entre los cardenales para la elección de un nuevo Papa, por regiones, por convicciones religiosas, por ortodoxia o renovación.
En ese cónclave habrá unas plagas que recuerdan las plagas bíblicas, de ratas, escorpiones,.. y las curiosas formas en que se combaten y los efectos que sobre los cardenales y los secretarios tienen las medidas que se van tomando.
LA novela desborda imaginación en las situaciones y a la vez da ideas y pistas de lo que puede ocurrir o como se van formando los bloques entre los cardenales para la elección de un nuevo Papa, por regiones, por convicciones religiosas, por ortodoxia o renovación.
En ese cónclave habrá unas plagas que recuerdan las plagas bíblicas, de ratas, escorpiones,.. y las curiosas formas en que se combaten y los efectos que sobre los cardenales y los secretarios tienen las medidas que se van tomando.
May 7, 2025
Jedyna siła zdolna do uwolnienia cztowieka od
egoizmu jest miłość.
⭐⭐⭐
Takie są losy większości ludzi: umierają na długo
przed śmiercią, bo nie potrafią przyjąć niczego, co nowe, co odmienne.
⭐⭐⭐
Moze tak właśnie objawiają się początki obłędu: jako stopniowe godzenie się z nienormalnym stanem rzeczy, jako przyzwyczajenie, skutkiem
którego walkę o wyjście z owego stanu odkłada się na później, a tymczasem staje się on dla nas coraz
bardziej naturalny i do przyjęcia.
ogólna ocena: 3.75/5 ⭐
TO NIE JEST TA KSIĄŻKA NA PODSTAWIE KTÓREJ NAKRĘCONO GŁOŚNY OSTATNIO FILM, NIE NABIERZCIE SIĘ JAK JA. 😅
egoizmu jest miłość.
⭐⭐⭐
Takie są losy większości ludzi: umierają na długo
przed śmiercią, bo nie potrafią przyjąć niczego, co nowe, co odmienne.
⭐⭐⭐
Moze tak właśnie objawiają się początki obłędu: jako stopniowe godzenie się z nienormalnym stanem rzeczy, jako przyzwyczajenie, skutkiem
którego walkę o wyjście z owego stanu odkłada się na później, a tymczasem staje się on dla nas coraz
bardziej naturalny i do przyjęcia.
ogólna ocena: 3.75/5 ⭐
TO NIE JEST TA KSIĄŻKA NA PODSTAWIE KTÓREJ NAKRĘCONO GŁOŚNY OSTATNIO FILM, NIE NABIERZCIE SIĘ JAK JA. 😅
September 29, 2018
Magical realism isn't my favourite genre but it was nice to read a book from this genre that doesn't come from South America. This just wasn't a book for me - part commentary on Vatican, part on the role of Church in the modern world. The humoristic elements were nice, but the entire story rang hollow and the way it was resolved... let's say I wasn't a fan.
August 17, 2020
Buen libro, aunque no me atrapo completamente, quiza por que no es el genero literario que me llama la atencion. Sin embargo si lo recomiendo.
February 6, 2025
Świetna książka, zabawna i mądra. Elementy realizmu magicznego dodają tej książce jeszcze więcej uroku.
May 16, 2025
No le he pillado yo el punto a este libro. No sé si quería ser una parodia, una novela de miedo o qué. Eso y la narración a veces un poco rimbombante no me ha gustado mucho.
August 5, 2025
Pastisz wyboru papieża, bez ciekawego pomysłu na zakończenie
May 9, 2016
Una genial locura la que se le ha ocurrido aquí a este escritor aunque si los cónclaves no fueran secretos y cerrados a cal y canto tal vez nos llevariamos una sorpresa de las cosas que ocurren en esos días entre el cuerpo cardenalicio en la espera a ponerse de acuerdo en quién será su nuevo jefe.
May 16, 2008
He made all those red robed cardinals human and at times hilarious. What a great tale!
March 14, 2009
Who will be a new pope? Choice is hard, but there are strong intruges in isolated buildings where cardinals, taking part in conclave, spend time. Good read.
October 28, 2008
Maybe this book is not awesome, but useful to read.
http://www.alfa.lt/straipsnis/c94726
http://www.alfa.lt/straipsnis/c94726
November 23, 2008
Conclave was good. I liked the story, and parts of it were entertaining, however, I couldn't keep the characters straight. I got all of the cardinals confused, and that made me sad.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews