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Q (novel)
Encyclopedia
Q is a novel by Luther Blissett
first published in Italian
in 1999. The novel is set in Europe during the 16th century, and deals with Protestant reformation
movements.
"Luther Blissett" was a nom de plume for four Italian authors, Roberto Bui, Giovanni Cattabriga, Federico Guglielmi and Luca Di Meo, who were part of the "Luther Blissett Project", which ended in 1999. They now write under the name Wu Ming
.
The novel has been translated into Danish, Dutch, English (British and American), French, German, Greek, Korean, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Basque, Czech, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish and Serbian. All of the editions keep the original copyright statement, which allows for non-commercial reproduction of the book.
radical across Europe in the first half of the 16th century as he joins in various movements and uprisings that come as a result of the Protestant reformation
. The book spans 30 years as he is pursued by 'Q' (short for "Qoèlet
"), a spy for the Roman Catholic Church
cardinal Giovanni Pietro Carafa
. The main character, who changes many names during the story, first fights in the German Peasants' War
beside Thomas Müntzer
, then is in Münster
's siege, during the Münster Rebellion
, and some years later, in Venice
.
repressed any alternative theological current or radical social movement, and the Peace of Augsburg
sanctioned the partition of the continent among Catholic and Protestant powers, so the last twenty years of the 20th century were marked by a vengeful rebirth of conservative ideologies, and the International Monetary Fund
-driven corporate globalization of the economy seemed to rout any resistance.
This interpretation stems from the authors themselves describing Q as a "handbook of survival skills", which might cast a revealing light on the book's ending.
However, this is just one of the many interpretations emerged in the aftermath of publication.
According to other readers and critics, Q is a thinly disguised autobiography of Luther Blissett
as a subversive, identity-shifting collective phantom. In fact, the protagonist has no name (and it must be pointed out that the authors later renamed themselves Wu Ming
, which is Chinese for "no name"), is involved in every tumult of the age, incites the people to rebellion, and organizes hoaxes, swindles and mischievous acts.
Both British novelist Stewart Home
and American novelist David Liss
have given an interpretation of Q as an "anti-novel", although their respective analyses bring to different conclusions. While Home's review put the emphasis on the social, political and subcultural references embedded in the plot, Liss' review dismissed the book as unnecessary and self-referential.
Yet other readers have expressed the opinion that Q — apart from radicalism, post-modernism, and allegories — is above all an adventure novel, a swashbuckler in the very Italian tradition of Emilio Salgari
and other popular feuilleton
authors.
On December 9, 2007, British newspaper The Observer
published a lengthy interview with Radiohead
. In that context, Thom Yorke
talked about the experience of reading Q: "Oh it's fucking ace! But my missus, that's her specialist field, so she's been explaining it to me all the way through. Medieval church carnage. It's mental. I want to get it made into a film. That's my next mission." Then the interviewer asked: " Using the In Rainbows
profits?", to which Yorke replied: "I doubt it. That would cover basically the catering."
On January 21, 2011, the Italian producer Domenico Procacci optioned Q to make a movie and commissioned the screenplay for the film to Giaime Alonge. Procacci's production company, Fandango, is planning a co-production with other countries.
Münster Rebellion
Antwerp
Venice
Luther Blissett (nom de plume)
Luther Blissett is a multiple-use name, an "open reputation" informally adopted and shared by hundreds of artists and activists all over Europe and the Americas since 1994...
first published in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
in 1999. The novel is set in Europe during the 16th century, and deals with Protestant reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
movements.
"Luther Blissett" was a nom de plume for four Italian authors, Roberto Bui, Giovanni Cattabriga, Federico Guglielmi and Luca Di Meo, who were part of the "Luther Blissett Project", which ended in 1999. They now write under the name Wu Ming
Wu Ming
Wu Ming is a pseudonym for a group of Italian authors formed in 2000 from a subset of the Luther Blissett community in Bologna.In their pre-Wu Ming days, the group wrote the novel Q ....
.
The novel has been translated into Danish, Dutch, English (British and American), French, German, Greek, Korean, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Basque, Czech, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish and Serbian. All of the editions keep the original copyright statement, which allows for non-commercial reproduction of the book.
Plot
The book follows the journey of an AnabaptistAnabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
radical across Europe in the first half of the 16th century as he joins in various movements and uprisings that come as a result of the Protestant reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. The book spans 30 years as he is pursued by 'Q' (short for "Qoèlet
Ecclesiastes
The Book of Ecclesiastes, called , is a book of the Hebrew Bible. The English name derives from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title.The main speaker in the book, identified by the name or title Qoheleth , introduces himself as "son of David, king in Jerusalem." The work consists of personal...
"), a spy for the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
cardinal Giovanni Pietro Carafa
Pope Paul IV
Pope Paul IV, C.R. , né Giovanni Pietro Carafa, was Pope from 23 May 1555 until his death.-Early life:Giovanni Pietro Carafa was born in Capriglia Irpina, near Avellino, into a prominent noble family of Naples...
. The main character, who changes many names during the story, first fights in the German Peasants' War
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt was a widespread popular revolt in the German-speaking areas of Central Europe, 1524–1526. At its height in the spring and summer of 1525, the conflict involved an estimated 300,000 peasants: contemporary estimates put the dead at 100,000...
beside Thomas Müntzer
Thomas Muentzer
Thomas Müntzer was an early Reformation-era German theologian, who became a rebel leader during the Peasants' War. He turned against Luther with several anti-Lutheran writings, and supported the Anabaptists. In the Battle of Frankenhausen, Müntzer and his followers were defeated...
, then is in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
's siege, during the Münster Rebellion
Münster Rebellion
The Münster Rebellion was an attempt by radical Anabaptists to establish a communal sectarian government in the German city of Münster. The city became an Anabaptist center from 1534 to 1535, and fell under Anabaptist rule for 18 months — from February 1534, when the city hall was seized and...
, and some years later, in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
.
Interpretations and controversy
Throughout Europe, several critics have read Q from a political point of view, and maintain that the novel is an allegory of European society after the decline of the 1960s and 1970s protest movements. As in the 16th century, the Counter-ReformationCounter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
repressed any alternative theological current or radical social movement, and the Peace of Augsburg
Peace of Augsburg
The Peace of Augsburg, also called the Augsburg Settlement, was a treaty between Charles V and the forces of the Schmalkaldic League, an alliance of Lutheran princes, on September 25, 1555, at the imperial city of Augsburg, now in present-day Bavaria, Germany.It officially ended the religious...
sanctioned the partition of the continent among Catholic and Protestant powers, so the last twenty years of the 20th century were marked by a vengeful rebirth of conservative ideologies, and the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
-driven corporate globalization of the economy seemed to rout any resistance.
This interpretation stems from the authors themselves describing Q as a "handbook of survival skills", which might cast a revealing light on the book's ending.
However, this is just one of the many interpretations emerged in the aftermath of publication.
According to other readers and critics, Q is a thinly disguised autobiography of Luther Blissett
Luther Blissett (nom de plume)
Luther Blissett is a multiple-use name, an "open reputation" informally adopted and shared by hundreds of artists and activists all over Europe and the Americas since 1994...
as a subversive, identity-shifting collective phantom. In fact, the protagonist has no name (and it must be pointed out that the authors later renamed themselves Wu Ming
Wu Ming
Wu Ming is a pseudonym for a group of Italian authors formed in 2000 from a subset of the Luther Blissett community in Bologna.In their pre-Wu Ming days, the group wrote the novel Q ....
, which is Chinese for "no name"), is involved in every tumult of the age, incites the people to rebellion, and organizes hoaxes, swindles and mischievous acts.
Both British novelist Stewart Home
Stewart Home
Stewart Home is an English artist, filmmaker, writer, pamphleteer, art historian, and activist. He is best known for his novels such as the non-narrative 69 Things To Do With A Dead Princess , his re-imagining of the 1960s in Tainted Love , and earlier parodistic pulp fictions Pure Mania, Red...
and American novelist David Liss
David Liss
David Liss is an American writer of novels, essays and short fiction; more recently working also in comic books. He was born in New Jersey and grew up in South Florida. Liss received his B. A. degree from Syracuse University, an M. A. from Georgia State University and his M. Phil from Columbia...
have given an interpretation of Q as an "anti-novel", although their respective analyses bring to different conclusions. While Home's review put the emphasis on the social, political and subcultural references embedded in the plot, Liss' review dismissed the book as unnecessary and self-referential.
Yet other readers have expressed the opinion that Q — apart from radicalism, post-modernism, and allegories — is above all an adventure novel, a swashbuckler in the very Italian tradition of Emilio Salgari
Emilio Salgari
Emilio Salgari was an Italian writer of action adventure swashbucklers and a pioneer of science fiction.For over a century, his novels were mandatory reading for generations of youth eager for exotic adventures. In Italy, his extensive body of work was more widely read than that of Dante. Today...
and other popular feuilleton
Feuilleton
Feuilleton was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criticism, a chronicle of the latest fashions, and epigrams, charades and other literary trifles...
authors.
News of film adaptation
Rumours about a film adaptation of Q have been circulating since the first publication of the book, but they have never turned into reality.On December 9, 2007, British newspaper The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
published a lengthy interview with Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
. In that context, Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
talked about the experience of reading Q: "Oh it's fucking ace! But my missus, that's her specialist field, so she's been explaining it to me all the way through. Medieval church carnage. It's mental. I want to get it made into a film. That's my next mission." Then the interviewer asked: " Using the In Rainbows
In Rainbows
In Rainbows is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was first released on 10 October 2007 as a digital download self-released, that customers could order for whatever price they saw fit, followed by a standard CD release in most countries during the last week of 2007. The...
profits?", to which Yorke replied: "I doubt it. That would cover basically the catering."
On January 21, 2011, the Italian producer Domenico Procacci optioned Q to make a movie and commissioned the screenplay for the film to Giaime Alonge. Procacci's production company, Fandango, is planning a co-production with other countries.
Altai: a "return to Q "
In May 2009 Wu Ming announced that they had almost finished writing a new book, set "in [their debut novel] Q's world and historical continuum". They announced it would be published in Italy in the Fall of 2009. Later on, they revealed that the title would be Altai and explained:Historical characters and events
German Peasants' WarGerman Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt was a widespread popular revolt in the German-speaking areas of Central Europe, 1524–1526. At its height in the spring and summer of 1525, the conflict involved an estimated 300,000 peasants: contemporary estimates put the dead at 100,000...
- Thomas MüntzerThomas MuentzerThomas Müntzer was an early Reformation-era German theologian, who became a rebel leader during the Peasants' War. He turned against Luther with several anti-Lutheran writings, and supported the Anabaptists. In the Battle of Frankenhausen, Müntzer and his followers were defeated...
– ReformationProtestant ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
pastor and AnabaptistAnabaptistAnabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
; - Martin BucerMartin BucerMartin Bucer was a Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg who influenced Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican doctrines and practices. Bucer was originally a member of the Dominican Order, but after meeting and being influenced by Martin Luther in 1518 he arranged for his monastic vows to be annulled...
– Protestant reformer; - Wolfgang Fabricius CapitoWolfgang Fabricius CapitoWolfgang Fabricius Capito was a German religious reformer-His life and work:Capito was born in born of humble parentage at Haguenau in Alsace....
– German reformer; - Martin Borrhaus (Cellarius)Martin CellariusMartin Borrhaus was a German Protestant theologian and reformer.-Life:Borrhaus was born in Stuttgart and raised as an adopted child of a Simon Keller.. He enrolled at the University of Tübingen, where in 1515 he graduated and came to know Philipp Melanchthon...
– UnitarianistUnitarianismUnitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
refomer; - 15 May 1525 - Battle of FrankenhausenBattle of FrankenhausenThe Battle of Frankenhausen was fought on 15 May 1525. It was the final act of the German Peasants' War: joint troops of Landgrave Philip I of Hesse and Duke George of Saxony defeated the peasants under their Anabaptist leader Thomas Müntzer near Frankenhausen in the County of Schwarzburg .On April...
- Hans HutHans HutHans Hut was a very active Anabaptist in Southern Germany and Austria.-Life:Hut was born in Haina near Römhild, south Thuringia and became a travelling bookseller. Hut was for some years sacristan in Bibra to the knight Hans von Bibra...
Anabaptist bookseller
Münster Rebellion
Münster Rebellion
The Münster Rebellion was an attempt by radical Anabaptists to establish a communal sectarian government in the German city of Münster. The city became an Anabaptist center from 1534 to 1535, and fell under Anabaptist rule for 18 months — from February 1534, when the city hall was seized and...
- Jan van LeidenJohn of LeidenJohn of Leiden , was an Anabaptist leader from the Dutch city of Leiden. He was the illegitimate son of a Dutch mayor, and a tailor's apprentice by trade.-Life:...
– Münster rebellion Anabaptist leader and King - Jan MatthysJan MatthysJan Matthys was a charismatic Anabaptist leader, regarded by his followers as a prophet....
– anabaptist leader and alleged prophet - Melchior HoffmanMelchior HoffmanMelchior Hoffman was an Anabaptist prophet and a visionary leader in northern Germany and the Netherlands.-Life:Hoffman was born at Schwäbisch Hall in Franconia before 1500...
– Anabaptist prophet - Bernhard RothmannBernhard RothmannBernhard Rothmann was a 16th century Reformer and an Anabaptist leader in the city of Münster . He was born in Stadtlohn around 1495.-Overview:...
– Anabaptist theologian - Franz von WaldeckFranz von WaldeckCount Franz von Waldeck , was Prince-Bishop of Münster, Osnabrück, and Minden and a leading figure in putting down the Münster Rebellion....
– prince-bishop of Münster and army chief in the siege of the city - Bernhard KnipperdollingBernhard KnipperdollingBernhard Knipperdolling was a German leader of the Münster Anabaptists. He was also known as Bernd or Berndt Knipperdollinck or Knypperdollynck; his birth name was van Stockem.-Early life:...
– guild leader in Münster city council and Anabaptist leader - Bernhard Krechting – guild leader in Münster city council and Anabaptist leader
- Heinrich Krechting
- Heinrich Gresbeck
- John Trypmaker
Antwerp
- Jan van BatenburgBatenburgersThe Batenburgers were members of a radical Anabaptist sect led by Jan van Batenburg, that flourished briefly in the 1530s in the aftermath of the Münster Rebellion.-Jan van Batenburg:...
– revolutionary Anabaptist; - AntonAnton FuggerAnton Fugger was a German merchant and member of the Fugger family. He was a nephew of Jacob Fugger.-Biography:...
FuggerFuggerThe Fugger family was a historically prominent group of European bankers, members of the fifteenth and sixteenth-century mercantile patriciate of Augsburg, international mercantile bankers, and venture capitalists like the Welser and the Höchstetter families. This banking family replaced the de'...
– banker - Eloi Pruystinck – Reformation leader
Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
- João MiquezJoseph NasiDon Joseph Nasi was a Jewish diplomat and administrator, member of the House of Mendes, and influential figure in the Ottoman Empire during the rules of both Sultan Suleiman I and his son Selim II...
– merchant - SpiritualiSpiritualiThe Spirituali were members of a reform movementwithin the Roman Catholic Church, which existed from the 1510s to the 1560s.The ranks of the Spirituali included Cardinal Gasparo Contarini , Cardinal Jacopo Sadoleto , Cardinal Reginald Pole , Italian poet Vittoria Colonna, and her friend, the artist...
- Giovanni Pietro CarafaPope Paul IVPope Paul IV, C.R. , né Giovanni Pietro Carafa, was Pope from 23 May 1555 until his death.-Early life:Giovanni Pietro Carafa was born in Capriglia Irpina, near Avellino, into a prominent noble family of Naples...
– cardinal, later Pope Paul IV - Reginald Pole – cardinal
Editions
The following are printed editions. Downloadable online editions in several languages can be found here.- Czech: Dokořán, 2006, ISBN 80-7363-072-9
- Danish: Hovedland, 2002, ISBN 87-7739-554-9
- Dutch: Wereldbibliotheek, 2001, ISBN 90-2841-877-6
- English: HeinemannHeinemann (book publisher)Heinemann is a UK publishing house founded by William Heinemann in Covent Garden, London in 1890. On William Heinemann's death in 1920 a majority stake was purchased by U.S. publisher Doubleday. It was later acquired by commemorate Thomas Tilling in 1961...
, 2003, ISBN 0-434-01000-6–Harcourt, 2004, ISBN 0-15-101063-3–Arrow, 2004, ISBN 0-09-943983-2 - French: Seuil, 2001, ISBN 2-02-040066-9, with the title L'œil de Carafa
- German: Piper, 2002, ISBN 3-492-04218-X
- Greek: Travlos, 2001, ISBN 9-607-99035-8
- Italian: Einaudi, 1999, ISBN 88-06-15572-5
- Korean, 2006
- Polish: Albatros, 2005, ISBN 83-7359-269-5
- Portuguese (Brazilian): Conrad, 2002, ISBN 85-87193-56-2
- Russian : Machaon, 2006, ISBN 5-18-001036-5
- Serbian: Plato, 2010, ISBN 978-86-447-0524-6
- Spanish: Grijalbo/Mondadori, 2000, ISBN 84-9759-358-8
- Basque: Gatazka Kolektiboa, 2009, ISBN 84-613-5252-4
See also
- Wu MingWu MingWu Ming is a pseudonym for a group of Italian authors formed in 2000 from a subset of the Luther Blissett community in Bologna.In their pre-Wu Ming days, the group wrote the novel Q ....
- 5454 (novel)54 is a novel by Wu Ming first published in Italian in 2002.Wu Ming is a collective of five authors founded in 2000. The members were formerly associated with the Luther Blissett Project, and four of them wrote the international best-selling novel Q....
- ManituanaManituanaManituana is a novel by Wu Ming first published in Italian in 2007.Wu Ming is a collective of five authors founded in 2000. The members were formerly associated with the Luther Blissett Project and wrote the international best-selling novel Q....
- New Italian EpicNew Italian EpicNew Italian Epic is a definition suggested by the Italian author Wu Ming 1 to describe a body of literary works written in Italy by various authors starting in 1993, at the end of the ‘First Republic’. This body of works is described as being formed of novels and other literary texts, which share...
External links
- Download of Q and other works by same authors
- Alleged speech anachronisms in Q: The authors reply (2004).
- A long list of reviews in several languages can be found at http://www.wumingfoundation.com/italiano/rassegna/rassegnaQ.htm
- Another list of reviews and ordering information can be found at http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/italia/wuming1.htm
- Authors' official website http://www.wumingfoundation.com/english/englishmenu.htm
- Longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award 2003