| THE FORBIDDEN BOOK A novel by Guido Mina di Sospiro and Joscelyn Godwin |
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| Exoterically speaking, THE FORBIDDEN BOOK is a murder mystery that involves the decipherment of secrets planted during the Italian Renaissance in a highly cryptic book. But esoterically speaking it is much more. It has a spiritual depth that most mystery-novels lack, thanks to Mina di Sospiro's extensive knowledge of Catholic history and practice, and Godwin's authoritative studies of the Western Esoteric Tradition. While the book is superb entertainment, the serious-minded reader will find a profound treatment of moral and political dilemmas, the conflict of religions, and the possibility of occultism. This is the rationale for the depictions of sexual magic rituals, their motivations and consequences, such as have never before appeared in a work of fiction. Likewise, THE FORBIDDEN BOOK is the story of the breakup of an aristocratic Italian family - with one member murdered and another kidnapped - but it is also about the breakup of Europe, no longer held together by Christianity and host to a growing Islamic presence. The machinations and decisions of the individuals have tremendous consequences, unleashing and then restraining a "clash of civilizations" that could lead to worldwide conflict. Specifically, it shows the Muslim infiltration being welcomed by a Pope naively convinced that all "believers" can be brothers. Counter to this is a ruthless and clever underground faction, deliberately exacerbating Islamic violence in the hope of launching a new Crusade. It links with the most conservative forces within the Catholic Church, and with the candidate for the next US presidential election, who between them aim at dissuading the Pope from a course of action that is leading Europe to civil war. The situation is resolved through a via media: Europe is awakened to its perils and to its own historic identity, and the Church remains true to its traditional principles. But implicit in this are all the problems that that entails. Leo Kavenaugh, by the end of the book, has moved far from his conventional Catholicism of the beginning, and Orsina Riviera della Motta, like her ancestors, seems more of a pagan than a Christian. Their relationship, from the first to the last page, is the foundation of the entire work. Serious as it is, the book has many comic scenes, and a constant undercurrent of ironic humor. The Baron's antics are grotesquely funny, as are the depictions of English upper-class expatriates and the fumblings of the Italian detective. Lovers of European atmosphere will appreciate the authenticity of the settings in Venice, the Veneto, Rome and Provence. |
| THE FORBIDDEN BOOK© by Guido Mina di Sospiro and Joscelyn Godwin. All rights reserved. |
| HOW THIS NOVEL CAME TO BE WRITTEN One of the most respective authorithies on the history of western esotericism, the author, editor and translator of tens of scholarly books, Professor Godwin is also the original translator of the highly cryptic Renaissance Italian treaty "Hypnoerotomachia Poliphili", on which is based the novel "The Rule of Four". The first integral translation in English, it a triumph of scholarship and readability alike, highly praised on both sides of the Atlantic. He was then commissioned to write "The Real Rule of Four", a guide to the novel, which the authors have enjoyed so much that, while for the first US edition it was "unauthorized", it is now, for the UK edition, "definitive". Guido and Joscelyn had been in correspondence for several years before Guido won his first literary award, and sent Joscelyn the news; he wrote back with congratulations. So Guido rang him and quite casually during the conversation - knowing nothing about "The Rule of Four" - proposed writing a novel together, based on the esoteric book "Il mondo magico de gli heroi" (The Magical World of the Heroes), by Cesare Della Riviera, published in 1603 (see below). Joscelyn accepted enthusiastically. We set to work immediately, and the novel is now completed, which leads us to believe that we had been incubating it for years. Neither of us has ever had a more rewarding creative experience: it seems to have been charmed from the start, and our different talents have made a perfect blend to produce a novel that is erudite yet gripping, engrossing, suspenseful and sometimes outright shocking. |
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| MAIN CHARACTERS
Leo Kavenaugh. Chair of the Italian Department at Georgetown University. Age about 44. Handsome but inhibited, having distanced himself from a past he is ashamed of in favor of Catholic piety and a comfortable, albeit numbed, bachelor existence. He lives in an apartment in the Rowlandsons' town house. Orsina Riviera della Motta. Age 28. Beautiful, aristocratic, cultured, passionate; the last scion of a once great aristocratic family. Was an Italian intern at Georgetown; fell in love with Leo, but he persuaded himself through a supreme effort of will that he should pretend not to notice. Nigel MacPherson. Age 45. Hearty Eton-educated Englishman, rich through commodities trading, now semi-retired into a life of self-indulgence: wine, yachts, fast cars. Orsina has married him on the rebound from Liam. Baron Emanuele Riviera della Motta. Age 64. Orsina's intolerably snobbish, erudite, and sinister uncle, patriarch of the family, who became the legal guardian of Angela when her parents died. He owns the ancestral villa near Verona and the palazzo on Venice's Grand Canal. Pursues a combination of right-wing politics and occultism, especially some ethically unacceptable ancient practices of sexual alchemy. Angela Riviera della Motta. Age 17. Orsina's younger sister and only sibling. Stunningly lovely, seductive, but victimized by her uncle. Inspector Ghedina. Age about 35. Inspector of police in charge of both investigations. Well-dressed, chain-smoking, self-confident, not devoid of the occasional brilliant intuition, but ultimately incapable of seeing the bigger picture. John McGrath. Age about 48. American Jesuit priest, Professor at Georgetown, well up in Vatican circles. An ascetic character with a keen eye for political expediencies. Senator Christopher Rowlandson. Age about 58. Prominent politician, conservative Catholic, and presidential candidate. Uses Leo as translator for secret meetings with Opus Dei representative and liaison with the Vatican. |
| Bishop Scovoloni. Prelate of the Opus Dei, the powerful Catholic organization. Age about 65. Severely conservative Catholic, strongly anti-Islamic and working to neutralize the Pope's initiatives.
The Pope. Age about 70. Complacent, eager to swell the Catholic ranks by watering down Christian theology and "embracing" the Muslims. The Forbidden Book. A real book of 1603, written by Cesare Della Riviera, entitled "Il Mondo magico de gli heroi" (The Magical World of the Heroes). It is a very mysterious treatise of alchemy and supposedly teaches how to attain the Tree of Life and make a man into a god. In our story, the Riviera family possesses a secret, annotated edition that gives specific instructions on magical techniques and sexual alchemy. Della Riviera's treatise presents itself as a conclusive summa of Renaissance Neoplatonism, Hermetic and alchemic thought, and Christian mysticism. It really is the swan song of all magic treatises, and was a great success at the time. "The references to Church and Bible were added like icing on a cake, to make the book palatable to the censors and obtain the Imprimatur. Discard the sugary-sweet icing, and the cake was pagan through and through." (TFB: Chapter XVI, Part III) Palazzo Riviera. A palace on the Grand Canal in Venice, closely resembling Ca' Rezzonico. It conceals secret chambers and is closely linked with the Forbidden Book. As an added bonus, an architect has drawn plans to our specifications, which can be found at the end of the novel. Villa Riviera. A villa near Verona, in the Veneto, with magnificent vineyards, gardens, statues, library, ballroom, and a nearby hunting lodge in which the Baron pursues his secret practices. |