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Overview
Milan, 1497: Leonardo is completing The Last Supper. Pope Alexander VI is determined to execute him after realizing that the painting contains clues to a baffling—and blasphemous—message that he is driven to decode. The Holy Grail and the Eucharistic Bread are missing, there is no meat on the table, and the apostles, shockingly, are portraits of well-known heretics—and none of them are depicted with halos. And why has the artist painted himself into the scene with his back turned toward Jesus? The clues to Leonardo's greatest puzzle are right before your eyes...
Tightly paced and atmospheric, The Secret Supper is a dazzling historical thriller with a unique vision of both Leonardo da Vinci's genius and his masterpiece—which you will never look at in the same way again.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780743287654 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Atria Books |
| Publication date: | 03/20/2007 |
| Edition description: | Reprint |
| Pages: | 368 |
| Sales rank: | 480,499 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.31(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
Hometown:
Málaga, SpainDate of Birth:
August 11, 1971Place of Birth:
Teruel, SpainEducation:
Journalism studies at the Complutense University, Madrid, 1989-1995Website:
http//www.javiersierra.comRead an Excerpt
Preamble
Reading Group Guide
Discussion Questions
1. Aside from his skill at solving codes and puzzles, what other methods does Father Agostino use in his attempt to uncover the identity of the Soothsayer and decipher the enigma of The Last Supper? How much does he owe to chance? What is the significance of Leonardo da Vinci solving the riddle written by the Soothsayer?
2. Were you able to guess the identity of the Soothsayer before it was revealed in the narrative? Once the identity was revealed, did you see clues and indicators that you had missed while reading the story?
3. Father Agostino and Master Torriani "both believed that the Soothsayer had left us this clue [the seven-line verse] in the hope that the Secretariat of Keys would solve it and communicate with him" (49). The Soothsayer had ample opportunity to reveal himself to Father Agostino after the inquisitor arrived in Milan. Why did he continue to hide his identity from Father Agostino?
4. Father Alessandro became "a dear friend" (79) to Father Agostino. Do you believe Father Agostino would have thought of the other man as a friend if he had been aware of Father Alessandro's true religious affiliation? Why or why not?
5. Why are the Dominican leaders so concerned that The Last Supper might contain hidden symbolism? How (and why) was art used to communicate ideas and beliefs to the people during the Renaissance?
6. Discuss Elena Crivelli's role in the story. Despite Leonardo's warnings, Bernardino Luini reveals to her what he has learned from Leonardo about the legacy of Mary Magdalene. Why does Leonardo then go a step further and take Elena into his confidence? What was your reaction to learning that da Vinci used a woman as the model for Saint John in The Last Supper?
7. When Father Agostino frees Mario Forzetta from the Jacaranda palazzo, Forzetta tells him, "Give me my freedom and I'll be faithful" (198). Does Mario fulfill that promise? How so? Why does Father Agostino choose not to inform his superiors of the existence of the Cathar community in Concorezzo?
8. The events in The Secret Supper are recounted by Father Agostino forty years after they took place. Why do you suppose the author chose to structure the narrative in this way? How does it enhance the story?
9. Why does Father Agostino exile himself in Egypt? He writes, "The intimate certainty that no Christian will ever read what I am writing clouds my mind and brings tears to my eyes" (9). Why is he recording an account of his mission in Milan if he's certain that no one will ever read it?
10. What techniques does the author use to heighten the suspense in The Secret Supper? Are there "heroes" and "villains" in the story? Who would you classify in each category?
11. Do you believe, after reading this book, that Leonardo da Vinci used The Last Supper to conceal religious ideas contrary to those of the Catholic church? How effectively does Javier Sierra support the premise that da Vinci was given responsibility for preserving the legacy of the Church of John and Mary Magdalene?
12. What is your impression of Leonardo da Vinci after reading this book? What did you learn about the Renaissance period, Italian history, art, and religion? What did you find to be the most compelling aspect of The Secret Supper?
13. Comparisons have been drawn between The Secret Supper and works such as The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. If members of your group have read either of these titles, compare them. What similarities did you find? What differences?
Tips to Enhance Your Book Club
Locate a picture of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper on www.artchive.com. See if you can identify the "secrets" concealed in the painting as they're presented in the book, such as Leonardo da Vinci's likeness, the knot in the tablecloth representing Mary Magdalene, a woman as the model for Saint John, and the dagger in Saint Peter's hand.
Dine at an Italian restaurant, or set the scene with these suggestions:
- Uncork a bottle of Chianti (a red wine produced in Tuscany, the region that was home to Leonardo da Vinci).
- Look for culinary inspiration on www.simonsays.com, where a selection of cookbooks includes Every Night Italian and Williams-Sonoma Collection: Italian.
- Savor a slice of panettone for dessert. This cake is thought to have originated in Milan in the 15th century. It's traditionally eaten during the holiday season, but your book club discussion of The Secret Supper is indeed a special occasion. Use the recipe on www.theworldwidegourmet.com, or purchase the confection from one of the gourmet food purveyors on www.amazon.com.
- Listen to Italian music; visit www.initaly.com for a list of suggestions.
The Secret Supper is filled with fascinating historical facts, such as how Friday the 13th became known as an ominous day and that aside from being an artist, Leonardo da Vinci also invented mechanical devices. Share with the group what you found to be the most interesting nonfiction fact, and why.
In The Secret Supper Leonardo reveals that he painted his masterpiece a secco, a technique never intended to be long-lasting. He invited artists from France and Italy to view The Last Supper, and they in turn duplicated the work in churches throughout Europe. See if you can find information on how many replicas were made of the painting, and whether any are still in existence.
Interviews
A Conversation with Javier Sierra
Q: You've written several historical novels in addition to The Secret Supper. What appeals to you about blending fact and fiction?A: Before writing my first novel, I published two nonfiction books about historical and scientific mysteries. I did my best with them to reveal unexplained facts to my readers, but to be honest with you, I could not propose answers to those mysteries without entering the dangerous field of speculation. With literature, things are essentially different: I can use facts as a sound basis for my novels, and my imagination to explain those unsolved mysteries that historians cannot clarify for themselves. That is just what I did with The Secret Supper. Q: How do you strike a balance between maintaining historical accuracy and taking liberties to make the story original and interesting?
A: One of the difficult tasks in my documentation work is to locate what I call the "black holes" of history. Those are intriguing facts -- controversial, not at all explained or clarified by the experts, but absolutely real and often full of wonderful details -- which I use to develop a story. I always first try to do an accurate description of the facts, and then suggest a new interpretation for them, based on personal beliefs of the characters never studied by the historians. Like millions of people around the world, I am sure that many of the "official versions" of history that we study in school are, to say the least, questionable. Researching historical mysteries allows me more freedom and independence of thought, enabling me to build my own criteria regarding what happened and to search for my own answers to the truth. Q: When did you first become aware of the religious contradictions and enigmas in The Last Supper? What appealed to you about using this premise as the basis of a novel?
A: When I went to see The Last Supper in Milan, I was surprised because that painting was created as a sort of game of illusion for the human eye. Leonardo wanted to confound the observer by painting portraits of ordinary men, not saints. It was difficult for me to distinguish between what was actually on that wall at the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and what should have been. What should have been painted was a Holy Grail, or the Eucharist in the hands of Jesus, or lamb on the table...but none of these were there! That was the moment when I discovered the story I would write about. Q: Are any of Leonardo da Vinci's other works believed (like The Last Supper) to contain hidden symbolism? If so, can you provide an example? Are other artists also thought to have done this?
A: Yes, of course. For example, while painting The Virgin of the Rocks, Leonardo used a forbidden book entitled Apocalipsis Nova as his main source of information. It was written by a heretical Franciscan monk called Amadeo de Portugal, and in it he explained that the main characters of the New Testament were the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, not Jesus. And that's exactly what Leonardo painted in The Virgin of the Rocks. The hidden symbolism of that painting is connected with Amadeo's heretical treatise.
This evidence taught me that Leonardo was open to heretical ideas and that he even obtained forbidden books of his time. Q: What was your reaction when you first saw The Last Supper? Did it seem, as Father Agostino states in the book, as if it "breathed life"?
A: Absolutely. Leonardo painted The Last Supper to suggest to the viewer that he was seeing a real scene. Everything in the painting has to do with the place where the mural is. The light, for example, was painted as it was entering through the windows of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in that precise moment. The tablecloth and the dishes in the painting are the same as those used in the fifteenth century by the friars there...Leonardo wanted to paint not a sacred scene, but a real, almost a physical one. I am convinced that The Last Supper was a first attempt to create what we today would call a "virtual reality." Q: Are the details you use to describe Leonardo Da Vinci-writing from right to left, always wearing white, never eating meat-based on historical fact? What documented evidence is there that Leonardo da Vinci was a Cathar?
A: None! There is not a single document which states that Leonardo was a Cathar. And for sure he wasn´t. What I think is that Leonardo sympathized with those persecuted last Cathars who take refuge in Concorezzo, a little village close to Milan. Many of the ideas of the Cathars were appealing to Leonardo, such as their fight against the Pope. The Cathars considered the Pope to be the real traitor to the spiritual message of Jesus. And if you pay attention to The Last Supper, it is easy to see how Leonardo deliberately confused the portraits of Judas and Peter, suggesting that Peter (that is to say, the Pope) was the real traitor in Jesus's statement, "One of you will betray me."
About Leonardo, it is true that he refused to eat meat, like the Cathars, and even dressed in white, like some of them. Q: What can you tell us about the myth surrounding the Pope Joan tarot card?
A: It is accepted that the Cathars were probably the creators of the first tarot deck. It was designed not for purposes of divination, but for purposes of instruction. During the Middle Ages, in the area of Southern France where the Cathar influence was strong, there were "troubadours" who used cards and designs to tell others their stories. The tarot cards were used as a tool to teach unorthodox ideas to the people. And the Pope Joan card was one of the most powerful of that deck. It showed that a woman could be also a minister of God, a priest-something that the Cathars accepted, but not the Vatican. Q: Oliverio Jacaranda is an antiquarian dealer whose "work consists of rescuing from oblivion those things that our ancestors left beneath the earth" (171). Is there evidence that the recovery and sale of antiquities was in fact facilitated during this time? Could people like Jacaranda be considered archaeologists of a sort?
A: The rescue of antiquities started shortly before Jarcaranda's time. During the fourteenth century, the inhabitants of Rome noticed that those old stones that they could see everywhere in the city were of great value. They started to rescue statues, columns, inscriptions of the Roman Empire and even ancient Egyptian obelisks, surprised at what they believed were the remains of a lost "Golden Age" of humanity. And some artists began to imitate those wonders. It was the first step into the Renaissance. Later on, the translation of lost books received from Greece and Egypt did the rest. In a way, all of these people could be considered "archaeologists of culture," in that they brought back to life the classical teachings of the remote past. Q: You have stated that you were inspired by Umberto Eco's novel The Name of the Rose, in which he makes use of historical and rare books as part of the storyline. In what ways is this reflected in The Secret Supper?
A: In the way that all the bibliographical references mentioned in The Secret Supper are absolutely real. The key information in my novel is based on facts: the Cathar movement was a real one; disciplines such as "the Art of Memory" were also real. And books like Apocalipsis Nova or Da Varagine's The Golden Legend existed, and were very influential in their time. Umberto Eco was the first novelist to widely use these kinds of real references. Q: What do you hope readers will take away from reading The Secret Supper?
A: They will learn for certain that art in the Middle Ages and Renaissance could be read. Art was then not just an aesthetic matter, but a way to communicate political and religious ideas, secrets or beliefs. I offer in The Secret Supper a code to read not only Leonardo's works, but other masterpieces of the Renaissance. How can someone then avoid the temptation of applying such reading to other works of art? Q: When you wrote The Secret Supper, did you expect it to become the international phenomenon it has, published in more than 30 countries? Has anything about readers' responses surprised you?
A: When I finished my work on The Secret Supper, I thought: "This novel works like a Swiss clock, with everything in its exact place," but that was all. I never imagined the success it would have, although I was sure that the secret revealed in my book would be of interest to the world. Q: What is your next project? Are you writing another book?
A: To be precise, I am researching for my next book. While working on the promotion of The Secret Supper, I am studying Near East history for my next project. I want to solve another old and intriguing mystery...But I should keep it secret, for the moment!
Introduction
1. Aside from his skill at solving codes and puzzles, what other methods does Father Agostino use in his attempt to uncover the identity of the Soothsayer and decipher the enigma of The Last Supper? How much does he owe to chance? What is the significance of Leonardo da Vinci solving the riddle written by the Soothsayer?
2. Were you able to guess the identity of the Soothsayer before it was revealed in the narrative? Once the identity was revealed, did you see clues and indicators that you had missed while reading the story?
3. Father Agostino and Master Torriani "both believed that the Soothsayer had left us this clue [the seven-line verse] in the hope that the Secretariat of Keys would solve it and communicate with him" (49). The Soothsayer had ample opportunity to reveal himself to Father Agostino after the inquisitor arrived in Milan. Why did he continue to hide his identity from Father Agostino?
4. Father Alessandro became "a dear friend" (79) to Father Agostino. Do you believe Father Agostino would have thought of the other man as a friend if he had been aware of Father Alessandro's true religious affiliation? Why or why not?
5. Why are the Dominican leaders so concerned that The Last Supper might contain hidden symbolism? How (and why) was art used to communicate ideas and beliefs to the people during the Renaissance?
6. Discuss Elena Crivelli's role in the story. Despite Leonardo's warnings, Bernardino Luini reveals to her what he has learned from Leonardo about the legacy of Mary Magdalene. Why does Leonardo then go a step further and take Elena into his confidence? What was your reaction tolearning that da Vinci used a woman as the model for Saint John in The Last Supper?
7. When Father Agostino frees Mario Forzetta from the Jacaranda palazzo, Forzetta tells him, "Give me my freedom and I'll be faithful" (198). Does Mario fulfill that promise? How so? Why does Father Agostino choose not to inform his superiors of the existence of the Cathar community in Concorezzo?
8. The events in The Secret Supper are recounted by Father Agostino forty years after they took place. Why do you suppose the author chose to structure the narrative in this way? How does it enhance the story?
9. Why does Father Agostino exile himself in Egypt? He writes, "The intimate certainty that no Christian will ever read what I am writing clouds my mind and brings tears to my eyes" (9). Why is he recording an account of his mission in Milan if he's certain that no one will ever read it?
10. What techniques does the author use to heighten the suspense in The Secret Supper? Are there "heroes" and "villains" in the story? Who would you classify in each category?
11. Do you believe, after reading this book, that Leonardo da Vinci used The Last Supper to conceal religious ideas contrary to those of the Catholic church? How effectively does Javier Sierra support the premise that da Vinci was given responsibility for preserving the legacy of the Church of John and Mary Magdalene?
12. What is your impression of Leonardo da Vinci after reading this book? What did you learn about the Renaissance period, Italian history, art, and religion? What did you find to be the most compelling aspect of The Secret Supper?
13. Comparisons have been drawn between The Secret Supper and works such as The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. If members of your group have read either of these titles, compare them. What similarities did you find? What differences?
Tips to Enhance Your Book Club
Locate a picture of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper on www.artchive.com. See if you can identify the "secrets" concealed in the painting as they're presented in the book, such as Leonardo da Vinci's likeness, the knot in the tablecloth representing Mary Magdalene, a woman as the model for Saint John, and the dagger in Saint Peter's hand.
Dine at an Italian restaurant, or set the scene with these suggestions:
- Uncork a bottle of Chianti (a red wine produced in Tuscany, the region that was home to Leonardo da Vinci).
- Look for culinary inspiration on www.simonsays.com, where a selection of cookbooks includes Every Night Italian and Williams-Sonoma Collection: Italian.
- Savor a slice of panettone for dessert. This cake is thought to have originated in Milan in the 15th century. It's traditionally eaten during the holiday season, but your book club discussion of The Secret Supper is indeed a special occasion. Use the recipe on www.theworldwidegourmet.com, or purchase the confection from one of the gourmet food purveyors on www.amazon.com.
- Listen to Italian music; visit www.initaly.com for a list of suggestions.
The Secret Supper is filled with fascinating historical facts, such as how Friday the 13th became known as an ominous day and that aside from being an artist, Leonardo da Vinci also invented mechanical devices. Share with the group what you found to be the most interesting nonfiction fact, and why.
In The Secret Supper Leonardo reveals that he painted his masterpiece a secco, a technique never intended to be long-lasting. He invited artists from France and Italy to view The Last Supper, and they in turn duplicated the work in churches throughout Europe. See if you can find information on how many replicas were made of the painting, and whether any are still in existence.
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