A Trembling upon Rome: A Work of Fiction

by Richard Condon

Dark satire about the piratical anti-Pope of 14th Century Rome.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

398 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Richard Thomas Condon was a satirical and thriller novelist best known for conspiratorial books such as The Manchurian Candidate.

After service in the United States Merchant Marine, Condon achieved moderate success as a Hollywood publicist, ad writer and Hollywood agent. Condon turned to writing in 1957. Employed by United Artists as an ad writer, he complained that he was wasting time in Hollywood and wished to write a novel. Without Condon's knowledge, his boss, Max E. Youngstein deducted amounts from his salary then fired him after a year giving him the amount of money he had deducted in the form of a Mexican bank account and the key to a house overlooking the ocean in Mexico. Youngstein told him to write his book. His second novel, The Manchurian Candidate (1959), featured a dedication to Youngstein. The movie made from it in 1962, made him famous. Prizzi's Honor (1982) was likewise made into a successful movie.

Condon's writing was known for its complex plotting, fascination with trivia, and loathing for those in power; at least two of his books featured thinly disguised versions of Richard Nixon. His characters tend to be driven by obsession, usually sexual or political, and by family loyalty. His plots often have elements of classical tragedy, with protagonists whose pride leads them to a place to destroy what they love. Some of his books, most notably Mile High (1969), are perhaps best described as secret history. And Then We Moved to Rossenara is a humorous autobiographical recounting of various places in the world where he had lived and his family's 1970s move to Rossenarra, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland.

Reviews

[George Mitolidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

anyone watching The Young Pope will get excellent context from this - took me by surprise when I read it...scales falling from my eyes and the suchlike

[Ratko Radunović · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4+)

Kondonov rijedak istorijski odlazak u prošlost na početku ima afišu protagonista na pet strana – kao da želi da nas uvjeri da se radi o istorijskim likovima i da ne izmišlja ništa po pitanju njihove korjenite iskvarenosti i bezobzirnosti.

Premda se radnja odvija u 14. vijeku, A Trembling Upon Rome je gotovo perfektna platforma za Kondona koji generalno piše (satire?) o novcu, moći i političkoj korupciji (jedan roman mu čak nosi naslov Novac je ljubav).

Međutim, ovo nije satira, iako se ni tu, na visokom nivou, organizovana politika, ako pitate čovjeka, ni za ovoliko ne razlikuje od organizovanog kriminala. U pitanju je nerazblažena istorijska istina.

U isto vrijeme, Trembling nije roman ni od Medičijevima, a šta bi XIV-XV vijeka bio bez njih? Porodica je ozvaničena u liku osnivača banke, Kozima, jednog od protagonista, lutkara koji upravlja svijetom oko sebe. Događaji se dešavaju stotinak godina PRIJE smrti Lorenca “Veličanstvenog” i takozvanog “Firentinskog proljeća”. Tako da ovo nije roman ni o tzv. italijanskoj Renesansi.

Ovdje je Rim primarna lokacija u prvoj polovini narativa. U drugoj, to je famozni Koncil u Konstancu (1414-18) gdje se pojavljuje i znameniti češki reformator Jan Hus, miljenik prostog naroda ali ne i pobožnih evropskih vladara kojima se nipošto ne sviđaju njegove ideje o poštenoj i krotkoj crkvi. Samo što ovo nije roman ni o Janu Husu. Već o konstantnim krvolocima koji nikada ne mogu utažiti svoju žeđ.

Medičijevi sa svojim ispostavama po cijeloj Evropi svejedno tragaju za lakim pristupom rimskom papi, Bonifaciju IX, ne bi li počeli da se brinu i o njegovoj riznici.

A sve se to, podrazumijeva se, događa usred ratova među italijanskim državama čiju je većinu osvojio milanski vojvoda Galeaco Viskonti sa namjerom da nasrne i na sam Rim.

Bonifaciju koji strijemi da bude jedini papa, a to ne može da bude zbog suparnika u Avinjonu (od 1309. se odatle vladalo hrišćanskim svijetom), stoga treba vojska koja će ga odvratiti od vanjskih nasrtljivaca. Tu nastupa glavni junak, Baldazare Kosa.

Ne zaboravimo da se ovdje zapravo govori o posljednjim trenucima Raskola zapadne crkve ili Velike šizme, kad su u jednom trenutku stolovali tri pape, te je sve to pošto-poto trebalo premotati na stari početak i nanovo unifikovati Crkvu sa sjedištem u Vatikanu.

Primarni protagonista je napolitanski pirat i lupež, Baldazare Kosa, korumpirani političar, vojnik, pravnik, finansijer, svodnik. On će, prije nego što nevoljno postane "antipapa" Jovan XXIII, biti desna ruka Bonifacija IX usred galerije promišljenih manijaka koji će se vremenom, kao i on uostalom, uzdići do najvisočijih pozicija u Vatikanu.

Baldazarea slijedi prostitutka (odnosno markiza) Dećima Manovale – jedan od ženkih majstora za diplomatiju i asasinacije – koja će sa četiri ćerke doslovno preko kreveta pružiti svoje pipke do najzabačenijih dijelova Evrope. Ona u suštini radi za Kozimovu banku što se iz dana u dan sve više trudi da svaki bogomdani dinar na kontinentu nađe mjesto u budžaku Medičijevih.

Posljednjih stotinjak strana je tour de force. Odvijaju se za vrijeme Koncila u Konstancu u trajanju od četiri godine, jednog od najnezaboravnijih momenata srednjevjekovne crkve. Tu će se razmrsiti cijela vijekovna era, ili će nam barem ostaviti takav utisak.

Medičijevi hoće jednoga jedinog papu - samo Italijana i samo u Vatikanu - i da sve bude kao prije 1309, ali bi ujedno da se ratosiljaju Baldazarea koga su sami postavili (kao trećega papu), odnosno navukli ga da se nelegalno prihvati vatikanskog trona.

Zbog toga ga odvlače u Konstanc sa hiljadama drugih crkvenjaka i vladara gdje navodno treba da se diskutuje o dugo očekivanoj reformi crkve, međutim to je samo najava za sezonu lova na slabije.

U Konstancu neće doći ni do nikakve reforme, ali će se na tom mjestu otvoriti bojno polje. Uslijediće četiri godine trvenja.

Iako Baldazare sluti da će ga u Konstancu raspopiti, ako ne i spaliti na lomači kao jeretika, on ne može da odoli novcu koji mu je garantovan da zaradi na Koncilu kroz prostituciju i kocku. Samo to pa je vrijedno rizika da se zaputi tamo, ravno u čeljusti neprijatelja. U stvari, kao bivši pirat i ratnik, ali kao uostalom i svaki papa prije njega, on jednostavno ne može da odoli svojim primarnim porivima.

Naposljetku će Baldazareov grob Kozimo, njegov prijatelj pa neprijatelj, urediti da ga dizajnira Donatelo, a napravi Mikeloco.

Ništa gori od Grejvsovih klasika o drevnom Rimu, Kondonova jedina istorijska fikcija isto tako gotovo nimalo nije drugačija od njegovih bolesnih komedija o političkim entropijama.

[Mary Warnement · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm researching the Council of Constance and early 15th c history. In the mood for some corresponding fiction, I picked this novel which is written as though a biography of Cossa, anti-pope John XXIII, by Franco Ellera, his Jewish slave. By the author of the Manchurian Candidate. I wasn't sure what to expect. Not exactly thrilling. It made me feel better, in a perverse way, about our current political situation to read about a time when bankers and politicians (kings and popes) really were murderers.

[Ian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even though I love Condon's other books this was painfully hard to read. It's drowned in detail & lacks the satirical fun of his other work.

[Ed Mestre · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this novel of the Great Schism when there was one pope in Rome and another in Avignon, France. I've always been curious about it, especially after visiting the papal palace in Avignon. Add to that, Richard Condon is the acclaimed author of "The Manchurian Candidate" & "Prizzi's Honor". I was ready for a great ride, but having given it well over a hundred pages, I just couldn't continue. The writing is fine & certainly well researched, but I hadn't found one single character I enjoyed, much less wanting to spend my precious time with. The plot was way too picaresque & sometimes redundant to grip me in any way. Perhaps the last 2/3 of the book improve, but I may never know as I look for greener pastures.

[CW Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent novel by an excellent novelist. Condon effectively takes the reader into the past, constructing the world of the fourteenth century in a remarkable way. He portrays the characters as human, complex and driven, and the plot reveals the intricacies, the loves and lusts, fortunes, desires and fears of the men and women at the heart of the one of the Catholic Church's most embarrassing, yet remarkable eras, the Western Schism. Anyone interested in this time frame, anyone interested in a fictional accounting of the Schism and its main players, should take a look at this book.