Synopsis

This fascinating first novel by Enrico Terrinoni, rich in literary references and arcane suggestions, sees the intertwined stories of two scholars, an old master and a young student, grappling with a puzzle linked to the few months spent in Rome at the beginning of the twentieth century by the great Irish writer James Joyce and, even further back in time, to the experiences of the philosopher he considered his ideal predecessor, Giordano Bruno, who was burned alive in Rome on February 17, 1600. Obsessed with the occult dimension of Joyce's and Bruno's writings, the old professor, an outsider to the academy, views literature as a mysterious, sapiential space, capable of providing absolute revelations. He believes that the Irish author's works contain an unspeakable secret, a treasure trove of hidden truths. However, he also knows he cannot continue his research alone. So during his last university course he tries to involve three students in his oracular theories: a shy and serious young man who, after the death of his old master, will take his place to continue his unfinished studies, a brilliant and impulsive girl and, finally, a peer of theirs of Magyar origins destined to become a famous noir writer.