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Umberto Eco

The Name of the Rose Hardcover – June 9, 1983

by Umberto Eco (Author), William Weaver (Translator)

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It is the year 1327. Franciscans in an Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, but Brother William of Baskerville’s investigation is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths. Translated by William Weaver. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Print length

512 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harcourt
Publication date

June 9, 1983
Reading age

14 years and up
Dimensions

6.13 x 1.4 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0151446474
ISBN-13

978-0151446476
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Novel by Umberto Eco, published in Italian as Il nome della rosa in 1980. Although the work stands on its own as a murder mystery, it is more accurately seen as a questioning of "truth" from theological, philosophical, scholarly, and historical perspectives. The story centers on William of Baskerville, a 50-year-old monk who is sent to investigate a death at a Benedictine monastery. During his search, several other monks are killed in a bizarre pattern that reflects the Book of Revelation. Highly rational, Baskerville meets his nemesis in Jorge of Burgos, a doctrinaire blind monk determined to destroy heresy at any cost. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

About the Author

UMBERTO ECO (1932–2016) was the author of numerous essay collections and seven novels, including The Name of the Rose,The Prague Cemetery, and Inventing the Enemy. He received Italy’s highest literary award, the Premio Strega, was named a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French government, and was an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Product details

Publisher : Harcourt; 1st edition (June 9, 1983)
Language : English
Hardcover : 512 pages
ISBN-10 : 0151446474
ISBN-13 : 978-0151446476
Reading age : 14 years and up
Item Weight : 1.9 pounds
Dimensions : 6.13 x 1.4 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,221,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,146 in Religious Mysteries (Books)
- #6,650 in TV, Movie & Game Tie-In Fiction
- #11,755 in Historical Mystery

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1,795 ratings

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What if Sherlock Holmes was a 14th century monk?

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2017

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I'm very tired and very exhausted by this book. But it was also very good.

The nutshell is this is a murder mystery set in a fourteenth century Benedictine abbey, with Franciscan monk William of Baskerville and his Benedictine novice Adso of Melk on the case. And it's genuinely fun! A Holmesian romp set in medieval paranoia. But everything in this book is a conceit; the entire abbey vibrates with a deconstructive menace. Behind the beautifully described murals, the rich and perversely interesting history of the persecution of mendicant monks, and even the trappings of a wicked murder plot, there is a nagging metafiction suggestion that what you see is wrong, and darkness is inevitable.

Honestly, I don't recommend this to everyone. This is my second Eco novel (after The Island of the Day Before), and this time around his writing is far more focused. That being said, Eco loves to indulge himself and deluge the reader with historical minutiae. The curious background character Salvatore speaks in an odd pidgin language, with mixes of bad Latin and whatever else he's happened upon. It's a book that requires work, and it is super easy to feel deflated when the climax hits. But I just spent two very enjoyable weeks chugging through it every night, intrigued by the tapestry, and I reckon I will think often about it for the upcoming months.

Aside, as much as I appreciate Eco's erudite prose and keen eye for mixing philosophy, religion, and literature, I'm in awe of the translator, William Weaver. The English reads well and I can still feel the character of Umberto Eco -- and he had to contend with a mass web of Latin, French, German, and a lot of specialized medieval terms. I'm interested in the man behind the book, but I think I'm even more interested by the man in-between.

140 people found this helpful

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Elle

Tedious

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2018

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The mystery and the setting are intriguing. Much of the story, however, is weighed down by long, rambling, unnecessary descriptions and expositions. At first, some of them are interesting, but this book is nearly 600 pages long. It would have been much better if it were 350 pages. Instead of describing four or five items (like images on a church door or sacred relics) that give the reader a complete idea, the writer routinely literally describes 25-30 items, sometimes in long lists! The same occurs with historical details. What could effectively be said with precision becomes confusing, boring, and tedious because the writer is so circumlocutory.

Also, there are entire parts of the book only in Latin. I became so frustrated with those excerpts, and with the book itself, that I quickly stopped translating them. I just skimmed through that.

Most of the time I felt the author was focused on indulging in his own intellectuality instead of writing a good book. I wish I hadn’t wasted my time on it.

82 people found this helpful

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doc peterson

A masterpiece

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2017

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_The Name of the Rose_ is a challenging read: Eco infuses the dialogue with Latin, the primary plot doesn't really develop until after the first 100 pages, and he provides a superabundance of sub-plots and historical details. But where the journey is difficult, the rewards are tremendous - and I encourage readers who otherwise might consider leaving the book after the first dozens of pages to hang in there - the details Eco provides in the opening chapters are what make this such a marvelous, masterful work.

Eco is writing on several levels: as a mystery, to be sure. Who is killing the monks at the abby and why? And why is there an apocalyptic theme to the deaths? What are the secrets being hidden by the monks, and how are they related to the crimes committed? But there is another level to the story: Brother William and his novice (Adso, the author of the story) are part of a larger theological mission regarding the nature of the Church - should it emphasize poverty? And if so, how does one reconcile this with the tremendous wealth and power the Church wields in the 14th century? (The backdrop of the story is set during the "Avignon Papacy" which resulted in two Popes claiming leadership of the Church). This conflict, in fact, may play a role in the murders; as a stand-alone issue, Eco not only shows remarkable historical accuracy, but also makes a commentary on the Church specifically and religion more generally. Yet Eco goes further still for those readers who are looking: while many of the characters and issues are drawn from history, Eco also gives a nod and wink to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in several respects - Brother William is "William of Baskerville"; the methods used by Brother William are identical to those used by Doyle's creation (deduction, inference and Occam's Razor - in fact, Occam is cited as an acquaintance of William's) - in fact, as the pair arrive at the abbey, the deductions William makes are too reminiscent to be overlooked. Further, the narrator writes as did Dr. Watson - _The Name of the Rose_ is essentially an account written by the investigator's side-kick.

Eco's brilliance is also demonstrated in the organization of the book: it opens with the same lines as Genesis ("In the beginning was the word ...") and is broken up into seven days, each day divided into the monastic measurement of time (Matins, Lauds, Prime,Terce, Sext, Nomes, Vespers and Compline). This not only reinforces the sense of authenticity of the story, but it also draws readers into the rhythms and pattern of monastic life. The details of the monastery - and especially the library around which the investigation revolves - speaks to the conflict between reason (as exemplified by Brother William) and faith (as exemplified by the monks). This is a conflict that continues to the present and is related to the other issue of wealth and Christianity that is at the heart of the internal conflict within the Church in the 1300s.

Perhaps my analysis is more than the casual reader is interested in, in which case Eco provides a top-notch mystery that is complicated, difficult to solve and rewarding in its conclusion. The only complaint I have plot-wise is the resolution: I was frustrated at the way in which Eco chose to end the mystery, if only because of my tremendous reverence for and love of the written word. That being said, the conclusion certainly does point to the value of monastic work in the Middle Ages, and the miracle that we have so many texts from the ancient world still extant.

_The Name of the Rose_ is dense and sometimes difficult to read (because of Latin, because of the historical details, and yes, because the mystery itself is a real challenge). But it is truly a masterpiece of writing - I highly recommend it.

85 people found this helpful

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Duncan

Brilliant, Immersive and enlightening

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2018

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Brilliant, just as remembered, and very different and BETTER than the film. Among them are expected differences, like more time to explain, and more time to develop character, but also there are things that never happen in the film, and even complete 180 degree turns to key events. The book is a better more holistic and satisfying event than the film, but the film, seen as a film, stands well as a great piece of cinematography. just not a great version of the book. See the film, but read the book first, if you can. Umberto Eco is a master of deep and meaningful plots and story lines, and casually throws around languages like Latin, Greek, German, Italian and others, sometimes untranslated, which can be disorientating at times, but does definitely enhance the time difference and cultural gap between us and the period of the book in history. Brilliant all round.

27 people found this helpful

Victoria Louise Hill

Monks, Mystery and Murder...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2016

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I approached The Name of the Rose with some trepidation. It was a thick paperback, and it came with a reputation of being a challenging read… and a few pages in it became clear that the author had liberally scattered his text with what I am told is medieval Latin (I don’t know any kind of Latin except for phrases which have passed into common use like Veni, vidi, vici).

However, I decided I would tackle the challenge as I also knew it was a mystery novel and, in general, I enjoy mystery novels (unless they are too graphic).

The Name of the Rose is a mystery novel, but it is a medieval mystery novel, set in a monastery against a background of a theological debate, and I found that I was as caught up in trying to follow the religious arguments (and form my own opinion of them) as I was by solving ‘whodunit’? In fact, by about half way through the novel I was so caught up in the story that I forgot to look out for clues as to the murderer’s identity… which meant I had a big surprise at the end.

At the heart of the monastery, and at the centre of the novel, is the mysterious library – a labyrinth which can only be accessed by the librarian and his assistant. Like all forbidden or restricted things, curiosity drives others to long to penetrate the library’s secrets – unfolding a devastating chain of events.

The Name of the Rose is a novel about sincere monks grappling with what seem to them to be vital questions: Did Christ practice (and preach) a rule of poverty for Himself and His followers? What should the relationship be between the (Catholic) church, the Emperor, and the common people? And, perhaps most important of all, Did Christ ever laugh? While these may not be questions which are asked in modern religious circles, what struck me was how the monks holding differing views used their religious beliefs in order to support political arguments – a trend as old as the monasteries of the Middle Ages and as modern as the American Presidential elections.

The other theme in The Name of the Rose is about the importance of knowledge, and particularly the information stored in books, and about whether access to that learning should be free for all or restricted. Is all knowledge good, because it is knowledge, and should therefore be shared, or are there some things which it is better to keep a secret?

You don’t have to be religious to enjoy this book – although I think it adds an interesting dimension if you are – neither do you have to be an expert on medieval times. If you have the patience to grapple with complex events (while remembering that the precise details are perhaps, not vital to the story), and the desire to read a novel that elevates the basic ‘whodunit’ to an art form, then add The Name of the Rose to your reading list, and persevere until the end. You will not be disappointed (but you may wish to read it again, to see if there were clues you missed the first time around).

43 people found this helpful

Partick Potter

Stunning piece of writing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2016

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This book is seriously hard work.

Eco takes you back in time to the early 14th century and a Europe in disarray as competing factions fight out whether or not Jesus owned the shirt on his back (sort of). The murder mystery that forms the backbone of this book is set in an imposing monestary high in the mountains, home to a treasury of literature and an increasing body count that the principle characters are tasked with sorting out.

In large part the writing is simply stunning. Utterly absorbing. But in many places, Eco indulges himself with rambling narratives that serve no great purpose. He seems to have a passion for reeling off long lists of almost anything which don't advance the story. An editor's cutting scissors would have been helpful.

The result is a book that is both utterly absorbing and difficult to get into. A paradox the author I'm sure would be content with.

23 people found this helpful

E. Nicholson

A wonderful book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

I read this years ago (on first publication) and lost my copy in a fire. So when I saw the TV series advertised (I'd seen the film twice) I bought the Kindle version to keep pace with the series and remind me of the details. The TV scheduling meant I had to wait too long between episodes and I simply couldn't stop reading. Definitely just as gripping second time around and not just for the mystery story and the quality of the writing. There are all kinds of extras including a look at mediaeval concepts of heresy and poverty, and details about monastic life - they are fascinating and strange to the modern mind, yet they mirror some of our own concerns about the divide between church and state, between rich and poor, and so on. A very satisfying read. Highly recommended.

2 people found this helpful

Alistair

Modern Classic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2019

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A successful novel upon release and turned into a decent film, I enjoyed this book. It follows a series of murders at an Abbey, somewhere around the early 14th century. The plot keeps the pages turning and is set at a steady pace. There can be some lengthy conversations on doctrine and descriptions of religious imagery, but for the most part this is an excellent novel, worthy of your attention.

4 people found this helpful

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