Book Review
“... corruption rife, mafiosi
officially in parliament, tax dodgers in government, and the only ones to end
up in prison are Albanian chicken thieves.
Decent people will carry on voting for the hoodlums because they won’t
believe the BBC, or they don’t watch such programmes because they’re glued to
something more trashy...”
The bizarre has become the
normal. That’s what Umberto Eco’s latest novel, Numero Zero, from which the above quote is taken, seems
to imply. It is a slim novel (190 pages)
with a scanty plot. Commendatore Vimercate is an entrepreneur who
“controls a dozen or so hotels on the Adriatic coast, owns a large number of
homes for pensioners and the infirm, has various shady dealings around which
there’s much speculation, and controls a number of local TV channels that start
at eleven at night and broadcast nothing but auctions, telesales and a few risqué
shows...” He now wants to start a newspaper,
or pretend to do so, because he wants to enter “the inner sanctum of finance
and politics.”
A small group of specially
selected journalists who have not proved their mettle anywhere yet forms the
editorial staff. Braggadocio is one of
them. He works on a kind of scoop which
has the potential to become a great controversy. Mussolini was not killed as is believed. After all, history is a series of lies. The real Mussolini was saved by certain
vested interests among the Fascists and also the Vatican. Braggadocio’s work does not carry any
credibility. Until his dead body appears
in an alleyway. Who killed him? Well, that’s what the novel is about.
The novel is about
conspiracies that have played big roles throughout history though it mentions
only one fictitious conspiracy. How much
of human history is truth? The novel
invites the reader to ponder.
The novel is also a
fantastic satire on journalism. What
comes in newspapers and TV channels may largely be lies motivated by various
factors. One example from the novel:
There’s a shady financial deal between Marchesse Alessandro Gerini and the
Salesian Congregation (a religious order of Catholic priests). When one of the journalists offers to
investigate the matter, he is told clearly to avoid creating any bad feeling
with the Salesians and the Vatican. He
can use a headline like “Salesians Victims of Fraud?” Maximum respect for the Salesians, the
journalist is told curtly. Respect the
powerful and the influential people; otherwise it’s death even for a newspaper.
The novel mentions many
such strategies employed by newspapers with various motives. How to report the killing of someone by the
mafia, for example, without offending the mafia? Work on people’s sentiments – that’s the
secret. Ask the mother of the victim how
she feels about her son’s death. “People
shed a few tears and everyone is happy.
Like that lovely German word Schadenfreude,
pleasure at other people’s misfortune, a sentiment that a newspaper has to
respect and nurture.”
Beyond the themes of
history’s mendacity and the venality that underlies apparent greatness and the
satire on journalism, the novel doesn’t really offer much as one would have
expected from a work of Eco.
Nevertheless, the novel is good.
It has the power to fuel thoughts, to question the authenticity of various
authorities. To question ourselves: why
are we, the ordinary mortals, often bullied into having to sell ourselves for “filthy
lucre”?
A great read.. very detailed review of the book. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure.
DeleteAt times, a book becomes friend solely for its ability to instigate thoughts. A great review!
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the review. Yes, there's no better friend than a book and that's my experience.
DeleteSeems interesting. I hope it reveals the dark side of journalism and its nexus with corruption.
ReplyDeleteIndirectly. Eco doesn't write popular thrillers. He is more of a philosopher though a good novelist too.
Delete