The Secret Supper
Encyclopedia
The Secret Supper is a thriller novel written by Javier Sierra
. The original Spanish title was La Cena Secreta, winner of the 2004 Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja
literary award, one of the richest literary prizes in the world. The English translation by Alberto Manguel
was published in 2006.
. The story is told in Agostino Leyre's words, as mysterious letters come in to Rome
. He is a chief inquisitor, and so he decides to investigate who had sent these mysterious letters, hinting at heresy. He goes to Santa Maria delle Grazie
, where he meets various monks, priests and nuns. But while he is there, various suspicious deaths and rumours takes him into a search for truth- the meaning of The Last Supper. Intrigued, he finds yet another mystery - a blue leather-bound book, portrayed in tarot cards left by the killer of several pilgrims, known as 'The Soothsayer'.
Javier Sierra
Javier Sierra Albert is a journalist, writer and researcher who studied journalism at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He is editor consultant of the monthly magazine Más Allá de la Ciencia distributed in Spain and Latin America and he participates in several radio and television programs...
. The original Spanish title was La Cena Secreta, winner of the 2004 Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja
Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja
The Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja is a Spanish literary prize, awarded since 2001 by the publisher Plaza & Janés to an original unpublished novel written in Spanish...
literary award, one of the richest literary prizes in the world. The English translation by Alberto Manguel
Alberto Manguel
Alberto Manguel is a Canadian Argentine-born writer, translator, and editor. He is the author of numerous non-fiction books such as The Dictionary of Imaginary Places , A History of Reading , The Library at Night and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey: A Biography ; and novels such as News...
was published in 2006.
Plot summary
It is set while Leonardo DaVinci is painting The Last SupperThe Last Supper (Leonardo)
The Last Supper is a 15th century mural painting in Milan created by Leonardo da Vinci for his patron Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d'Este...
. The story is told in Agostino Leyre's words, as mysterious letters come in to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He is a chief inquisitor, and so he decides to investigate who had sent these mysterious letters, hinting at heresy. He goes to Santa Maria delle Grazie
Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)
Santa Maria delle Grazie is a church and Dominican convent in Milan, northern Italy, included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites list...
, where he meets various monks, priests and nuns. But while he is there, various suspicious deaths and rumours takes him into a search for truth- the meaning of The Last Supper. Intrigued, he finds yet another mystery - a blue leather-bound book, portrayed in tarot cards left by the killer of several pilgrims, known as 'The Soothsayer'.
Main characters
- Agostino Leyre- Chief Inquisitor at Rome, called to investigate The Soothsayer
- Beatrice d'Este- Duchess, died along with her newborn baby
- Leonardo DaVinci- Artist, inventor and author, painter of The Last Supper and Maesta
- Father Alessandro- Librarian who helps Agostino with his search
- Brother Benedetto- A one-eyed monk who is not what he seems...
- Brother Guglielmo- The cook at Santa Maria
- Brother Giberto- A red-haired monk
- Father Prior- tries to decipher the identity of the Soothsayer along with Agostino
- Bernardino Luini- One of Leonardo's ex-apprentices who starts his own hunt for answers
- Marco Forzetta- Another one of Leonardo's ex-apprentices