Rasero

by Francisco Rebolledo

Book Overview

Imagine what it would be like to have met and conversed, dined and argued with the greatest figures of the Enlightenment. Such is the privilege granted to Fausto Rasero, a Spanish nobleman with an extraordinary appetite for intellectual and carnal knowledge. As he converses with Diderot, Voltaire, and Madame de Pompadour, he still cannot erase the apocalyptic fantasies that plague him as he views the end of the world.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140260536
• ISBN13: 9780140260533
• Release Date: December 1996
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 568 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A sweeping novel of an incredible period in history.

This is a book of ideas, a very interesting book, that is explored through the life of a fictious character, Rasero. Whereas in the film Forrest Gump a dim witted young man is present at major historic events by accident, in this novel, Rasero, a very intelligent man, seems to know everyone of any importance in the Enlightenment period. The major strength of the work is Rebolledo's firm grasp of scientific, historic, political and philosophical movements of the period. However this may prove to be the major weakness since it may be too sweeping in scope and thus does not allow for indepth discussion of the philosophical concepts that arise in the book. The book starts with Rasero as a young adult in 1749 and ends roughly around 1812, covering 63 years in which Europe underwent amazing cultural and historic contortions. The novel takes place primarily in Paris, Madrid, and Mexico City, Mexico. Early in the novel, Rasero is able to transcribe the book of Revelations by St. John. HIs friend, the court painter Boucher, illustrates it with sepia watercolor. Rasero reads the book frequently since it corresponds to the scenes of mass murder and destruction that he sees into the future. He sees the Holocaust in Germany, the Vietnam war, the bombing of Hiroshima, and other scenes of mankind's folly. He sees vision when he has orgasm, and these visions of 20th Century horrors remind us that 18th Century horrors and 20th Century horrors have much in common. Diderot, the editor and primary writer of the Encyclopedia that was a bedrock of Enlightenment thinking, is a fried of Rasero's throughout most of the book. We hear of the struggles Diderot had trying to convince the great thinkers of his time to contribute to this massive effort. Voltaire, the witty and creative thinker that made philosophical concepts attainable through this writing, is shown struggling with Frederick the Great and the Roman Catholic Church. Both his benefactor (Frederick) and great opponent (Catholicism) influenced his thinking, writing, and philosophy. We see Voltaire, always sarcastic and insightful, struggle to get away from Frederick only to have Frederick try to entice him back to Prussia. When dying, Voltaire is ostracized by the church, and much trickery must take place for Voltaire to be buried. One theme of the book is the emergence of the Enlightenment against a historic background of feudalism and oppression. This is exemplified by the execution of Damien, the misguided young man who tried to stab Louis XV. He does slightly wound Louis but the tortures he endures are amazing. Large pieces of his flesh are pulled off with hot tongues and then the wound is filled with boiling hot lead. Then his hand, with which he held the knife, is cut off. Then his legs and arms are pulled off by 4 horses. Then, since he is still alive and murmers "Mother" to the executioner, he is thrown into a blazing fire. Rebolledo wishes to contract this extreme public execution with the emergi

Banquet of Art and History

This beautiful and rich novel was a fascinating find that I made, and it is a secret pleasure that I always recommend to truly discriminating readers. To thumb through it, it looks daunting, but Rasero and all the famous personages from the Enlightenment are brought to ravishing life in these pages. Goya, Mme Pompadour, Diderot, Pope, Robespierre, they all come to the page with the full weight of their Humanity in "Rasero". What a banquet for lovers of art and intellect. Indulge yourself!

Enlightened Pessimism

"Selfishness and its faithful spouse, Stupidity, will be your gods. And they will be loved and respected as never a god was adored on earth."These words introduce us to Marquis Fausto Rasero, the title character of this tour-de-force by Mexican author Francisco Rebolledo. They are Rasero's words, spoken for readers of the future.When we meet Rasero in the 1740s, the 26-year-old Spanish noble is a quiet, contemplative man still coming to terms with a grotesque malady: every time he has sex, he sees visions of the future at the moment of orgasm. These visions are quite naturally terrifying: people cramming into metal tubes which travel underground, glass boxes within which small people move around while others watch and laugh... Above all, images of war: a giant metal bird dropping something out of the sky, after which thousands of Asians are incinerated in a blinding flash of light. Rasero is unsure how far into the future all this is happening; he only knows that the horrible visions of the year 1745 have been the worst of all. In a move that speaks both of Madrid's stagnation and Paris' excellence at this point in history, the wealthy young noble leaves his native Málaga for a diplomatic post in Paris. He will spend his life there, making the acquaintance of the brightest minds of his time, men such as Diderot and Voltaire, Lavoisier and even Mozart, seeking to reconcile their beliefs with his secret knowledge. They are all working to bring about the Enlightenment they aspire to. Yet how can the Enlightenment these men hold so dear possibly be leading to the horrendous future Rasero witnesses in the arms of one lover after another?This is an undervalued book that deserves to be more widely read. Its prose is thick and ornate, and you won't want to read this on an airplane full of tourists. Give it instead the time and silence it deserves. "Rasero" is not only an all-expenses-paid journey to the Paris of Louis XV, it is a thought-provoking examination of human nature using the borrowed voices of many great men, and some clever women as well. Some of its chapters, especially "Mariana" and "Robespierre" approach such perfection that they could have been developed into self-containing novels. In the end, Rasero - and Rebolledo - adopt a stance of uncompromising pessimism towards the future of humanity. Standing in Rasero's shoes, standing in Paris on an overcast day in 1794 watching as the Revolution devours its own children, including the enlightened young man he helped raise, you'll find his disgust is hard to argue with. This is a book that will keep you thinking about it long after you close it.

A magical work that arouses all the senses.

A delightful narrative and wonderful historical tour of the Enlightenment. Rebolledo has stormed in onto the Latinamerican literary scene and claimed his place next to the likes of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Carlos Fuentes. Nicolas A. Vivas (nvivas@ix.netcom.com