The First Verse

by Barry McCrea

This memorable debut novel explores Dublin’s every corner, including a first-of-its-kind portrayal of its thriving gay nightlife, through the eyes of a young man seduced by a secret society’s ancient reading rituals, based on the sortes virgilianae. In brilliant prose, author Barry McCrea gives readers a psychologically gripping tale set within the intertwining worlds of literature and the living.

When freshman Niall Lenihan moves to Trinity College, he dives into unfamiliar social scenes, quickly becoming fascinated by a reclusive pair of students—literary “mystics” who let signs and symbols from books determine their actions. Reluctantly, they admit him to their private sessions, and what begins as an intriguing game for Niall becomes increasingly esoteric, dramatic, and addictive. As Niall discovers the true nature of the pursuits in which he has become entangled, The First Verse traces a young man’s search for identity, companionship, and a cult’s shadowy origins in the pages of literature and the people of a city. Fans of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History or Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley will be mesmerized by the strange, page-turning world of this astonishing first novel from a dazzling new literary voice.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Mystery, Dark Academia, Ireland, Gay, Irish Literature

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

McCrea is an Irish writer and academic. He grew up in Dalkey, Co. Dublin, and was educated at the Jesuit Gonzaga College, and Trinity College, Dublin (1993–1997) where he studied French and Spanish literature. He received a Ph.D from Princeton University in 2004, and currently teaches Comparative Literature at Yale University.

His novel The First Verse was published by Carroll & Graf in 2005. It was awarded the 2006 Ferro-Grumley prize for fiction, and nominated for an American Library Association award. The plot explores the concept of the Sortes Virgilianae.

The First Verse was published in Spanish as "Literati" (DestinoLibro, 2006) and in German as "Die Poeten der Nacht" (Aufbau, 2008).

Reviews

[Maria Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

ME HA ENCANTADO!!!!
Es el primer libro que leo que el protagonista es homosexual y me ha encantado pasearme por los bares gays de Dublin, por sus pubs y sus calles, vivir su vida 'prohibida', sucia (como el mismo la define), y a la vez sentir su amor obsesivo por Ian; así como su relación con Chris.... Ay, Chris, cómo he sufrido por él.

Pero esto sólo es la punta del iceberg. La aventura comienza con un juego inofensivo que se transforma en una locura, en la que nuestro protagonista se deslizará hasta caer en ella como si fuera un drogadicto.

No quiero decir nada más, salvo que si no le he dado las cinco estrellas por el final. En serio: ¿qué final es ese? ¿Cómo puede poner fin cuando yo tengo una infinidad de preguntas por hacer?

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars--I really liked it.

This was a strong 5-star read for me until the end. It has a lot of things I love in a book:
* Set in Ireland
* Set in a university (Trinity!)
* About a secretive cult that derives wisdom from reading random scraps of texts
* Occasionally lapsing into magical realism

How much of the plot is real, and how much is the narrator trying to process his first year away from home--and his first steps of living as a gay man--is unclear. I love the ambiguity! The book strongly echoes The Secret History, one of my all-time favorites.

However, just when things were getting tense, just when I was flipping pages frantically to see what would happen, the book ended. There was no resolution, no explanation, no payoff for over 300 pages of buildup. Argh!

Despite this, I really enjoyed this debut novel.

[Lanea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty impressive first novel. It follows Niall, a young student from Sandycove, Dublin as he enters university at Trinity College Dublin to study French and English as a Beckett scholar. So, of course, I was going to read this no matter what. The book traces through one of my favorite cities, in the neighborhoods I used to haunt as a student, and the main character reminds me so much of one of my long-lost dear high school friends that reading the book was almost like a reunion. And then my long-lost friend found me last week, while I was nose-deep in this book.

Which is an interesting coincidence, because the plot of the book is all about the spooky power of books. Niall, a young gay man who is a genius of languages, steps into college life like many young gay men do. He starts to meet men he can date, relishes his freedom, and starts tip-toeing towards coming out. He makes his way as a scholar in his own right, set free from the constraints of his family and his former school mates. He befriends other students and tries to gauge how they'll react to his homosexuality, and on some level realizes that his own happiness is so much more important than anyone else's view of him. It's lovely.

And then it all goes to hell. It has to--something needs to drive the novel. Niall comes into contact with two mysterious older scholars who are involved in a strange form of divination, sortes. He pesters all hell out of them until they let him into their mini-cult, and then loses himself to their rituals and their crackpot lifestyle. He also loses touch with his family, lets a promising new relationship fall by the wayside, insults his friends, and founders in school. So then we have to root for Niall to escape the cult.

The book isn't perfect, of course. It ends a bit abruptly. It tortures the reader a bit too much in spots--we want Niall to regain his senses, to remember how much he loves his friends and his studies, and how intrigued he was by the Dublin gay scene and one particular man. But despite the small weaknesses of the book, Mccrea did something all too rare--he called attention to some of the complexities of being openly gay, even in post-Catholic Ireland, and he created a gay character who isn't just about stereotypes or erotica. His Niall is about so much more than his sex life. Because, well, isn't everyone? The book is a breath of fresh air, despite all of the claustrophobic chanting and studying the characters wallow in.

[Ayla SM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Analizándolo de forma objetiva, la trama es interesante y está bien desarrollada, aunque es repetitiva en algunos puntos.

El conflicto se centra en un "juego" literario, llamado sincronismo, que consiste en formular una pregunta, escoger un libro, abrirlo por una página aleatoria y leer el fragmento en el que se ha posado el dedo del usuario. Ese fragmento dará respuesta a la pregunta formulada, de forma interpretativa y metafórica, claro. Es una premisa que me ha llamado muchísimo la atención, a pesar de que presenta mucha ambigüedad sobre si los sincronismos funcionan de forma sobrenatural o es todo cosa de la casualidad y de la sugestión. Sin embargo, esto tampoco importa demasiado para la trama.

Y aquí empiezan mis problemas: a pesar de que entiendo la dirección que tomó el autor para desarrollar este conflicto, y no está mal... Mis expectativas estaban tan altas respecto al potencial del conflicto, que el transcurso de la trama no las llegó a satisfacer.

Sí que es verdad que aplaudo la clara representación de las adicciones. Al final, el proceso de inserción del protagonista en el juego literario, y su creciente obsesión con ello, es como si se hubiera enganchado a una secta de ocultismo. Y, encima, el efecto que causan los sincronismos funciona como si de una droga se tratase. En este sentido, también está muy bien reflejada la psique de alguien adicto, el proceso de una adicción y los peligros graduales de esta situación. Sobre todo cuando ese adicto está pasando por una época de cambios drásticos en su vida y una búsqueda de identidad.

Esto enlaza con otro de los problemas que he tenido, de índole totalmente subjetiva. Obviamente, el rumbo de la historia no iba a ser agradable, pero es que he estado incómoda durante toda la lectura, y esto se ha debido, en gran parte, a la infinidad de malas decisiones que toma el protagonista. Obviamente esto no quiere decir que sea un personaje mal construido ni mucho menos, porque su comportamiento es coherente con su personalidad y con lo que le va sucediendo. Pero uf, no podía más, qué desesperación.

Un punto que sí debo destacar a favor es la narración. Me encanta cómo está narrado. Para empezar, utiliza la primera persona, lo cual me parece la mejor opción para la historia que se cuenta. En todo momento nos adentramos por los recovecos de la compleja mente del protagonista, a través de una introspección profunda. Todo se mantiene en las sombras, en completo misterio, menos lo que conocemos a través de él. Además, utiliza un estilo de narración sencillo y, a la vez, poético; en sintonía con los elementos literarios que plasma.

Y, para terminar, comento el final. Por un lado me ha gustado y por otro no. Lo que me ha gustado es que, justo en la última página, el protagonista toma la mejor decisión de todo el libro. Lo que no me ha gustado es lo precipitado que esto sucede. Es tan abrupto y confuso, y deja tantas incógnitas sin resolver, que da pie a la frustración.

Conclusión: no se ha desarrollado conforme a mis expectativas, pero eso no lo convierte en un mal libro. Para ser la primera novela del autor, es una buena obra.

[Steffi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nachdem ich gerade einen anderen kurzweiligen College-Roman, der sehr literaturlastig ist, gelesen habe, fällt dieser Roman nun besonders ab.
Ja, Dublin als Handlungsort ist spannend. Und eine moderne Geschichte, in der Schwulenclubs eine Rolle spielen, mal was anderes. Aber die Geschichte packt mich nicht. Dabei kann das an der mangelnden Kenntnis des Autors nicht liegen. Barry McCrea ist ein Literaturwissenschaftler, der zu interessanten Werken und Themen publiziert hat (Ulysses, Minderheitensprachen und ihr Einfluss auf die Literatur), aber hier wird dieses Wissen nicht wirklich lebendig vermittelt.
Vielleicht kriegt der Roman irgendwann mal wieder eine Chance, im Moment war's das. Daher erst einmal Abbruch.

[María Ignacia Valdés · Rating 2 out of 5]

Podrían ser 2.5 estrellas. Este es uno de esos casos especiales, de libros que te mantienen enganchado, que no puedes soltar, pero no precisamenteporque la historia sea buena...

La premisa lo era, pero resultó ser que la historia no tenía nada que ver con ella, así que estuve todo el tiempo sintiéndome estafada. El juego literario no tenía nada de juego, ciertamente no hubo una gran intriga, como se prometía, y para coronar todo esto, al final nada resultó tener explicación. Es definitivamente, el peor final que he leído en mucho tiempo.

Como dije, la única razón por la que tuvo más de una estrella, es porque está escrito de una manera que hace difícil dejar de leer (excepto al final... me costó mucho decidir leer hasta el final, pero la esperanza -en este caso, de un buen final- es lo último que se pierde).

[Kyle C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhat bemused as to how to review this novel, I plucked a random volume from a library shelf and encountered these words in a Henry James novel "Could be agreeable when he chose." It seems only fair that a book about bibliomancy should be reviewed bibliomantically. If this makes no sense, you have a good impression of the contents of this novel, which I enjoyed immensely.

[Ally Marrs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barry ate with this one !!!

So happy I finally read this book (by one of my profs in Dublin!!). I believe it was inspired in tone and setting by the secret history, and honestly I liked this story better. Dublin lends itself so well to the dark academia vibe and I just looooooved immersing myself in this book. It’s a fun thematic blend of culty stuff and general commentary on figuring yourself out in your college years. It just brought me right back to all of my Dublin memories and now I NEED TO GO BACK.

I’ll never apologize for continuing to talk about study abroad (even 7 years later (ew wtf!?!))

[Blake Fraina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niall Lenihan is entering his first year at Trinity Dublin, as one of two Beckett Scholars. He's somewhat young for his age - bookish and inexperienced; not yet out of the closet to anyone and still nursing an unrequited crush on Patrick, a popular, athletic, and decidedly straight, school chum. As Niall is settling into his rooms at university, a mysterious young man calls him by name from the courtyard below his window and serenades him with the first verse of a traditional song, "Oranges and Lemons, say the bells of Saint Clements." The stranger introduces himself as Pablo Virgomare and then promptly runs off. Thus begins Barry McCrea's brilliant and mysterious novel, The First Verse. Throughout the first chapter, Niall (and the reader) will notice a series small of incidents - coincidences - that seem to echo, or reflect, the first words of the rhyme. Most significant of these occurs when he briefly meets an eccentric older student, Sarah, who asks him to choose a passage at random from a book she is carrying and, to his shock, it is the very same line Pablo Virgomare recited to him but an hour earlier.

Soon Niall finds himself pursuing Sarah and her cohort John, in order to gain entree into a mysterious cult they belong to where the members base all their actions and/or decisions on randomly chosen passages from randomly chosen books. This allows them to live seemingly as if guided by the fates, without having to make any conscience choices of their own, without having to take responsibility for their actions. This lifestyle is very seductive to a timid young man who largely does what is expected of him and shies away from making bold, decisive moves (such as declaring his love for Patrick or coming out). At first they reject him but, by using their own methods against them, Niall chases them down and forces his way into their exclusive circle. Their nightly meetings are like supernatural seances that last until dawn, fueled by the ritual, repetitive chanting of book passages and the drinking of large quantities of Southern Comfort. As Niall's life begins to spin out of control, the book becomes a story of addiction and attempted recovery. Soon he is unable to make the simplest decision or, as with drugs or alcohol, to even feel normal without first consulting the books.

The First Verse can definitely be classified as literary fiction of the highest order, yet it's never difficult, dry or cumbersome to read. On the contrary, the writing is incredibly brisk and tight. The reader gets the impression that every passage, every word has been carefully chosen to fit into a larger, yet-to-be-revealed picture. Every quote, character name or book title mentioned offhandedly is not without a larger significance. Yet beneath the artistry of the writing and the relevance of its themes, this is, first and foremost, a compulsively readable story. It's very much a mystery, a bit of a thriller and even includes a compelling little love story. Above all, it struck me as an intricately wrought puzzle, and not until the last piece was in place did it all make sense. Anyone who can relate to the idea of being seduced by the written word will love this book and the believable, flesh-and-blood protagonist at its heart will have the reader rooting for him until the very last page.

I firmly believe that, if Niall was straight, this book would have been a major bestseller. Personally, I recommend it to any lover of literature - straight or gay.

[Karina Vargas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literati : 2,5 estrellas.

Niall Lenihan es un joven que vive con sus padres y su hermana en un pueblo de Dublin, Irlanda, y ahora que está recién graduado del instituto, debe mudarse a los dormitorios del Trinity College, donde ha recibido una beca para continuar con sus estudios. Esto significa para él un gran cambio, ya que se ve obligado a separarse de su mejor amigo, Patrick, que va a estudiar medicina, y también de Ian, el jugador de rugby popular de su clase, su amor platónico y secreto. Aún con todas sus penas amorosas rondando en su cabeza y el sufrimiento causado por no poder revelar su homosexualidad a sus seres queridos, Niall comienza a frecuentar a gente nueva: conoce a Fionnuala y ella luego le presenta a sus amigos; antes que pueda darse cuenta, su vida social lleva un buen ritmo y le va muy bien con las clases, aunque todavía le pesa no poder mostrarse tal cual es. Una noche, como tantas otras, concurre a una fiesta junto a Fionnuala y se queda dormido allí. Al despertar, la encuentra junto a Sarah y a John, a quienes había conocido previamente en circunstancias completamente distintas. Cuando ellos notan que él ha despertado, su amiga le invita a participar del juego que estaban haciendo, pero los otros dos se muestran un poco reticentes a ello. Finalmente, aceptan y así Niall conoce por primera vez a los sortes. Sin embargo, pronto comienzan a surgir más preguntas que respuestas, y eso que parecía ser sólo una distracción juvenil se transforma en un misterio, una adicción que no podrá abandonar y la perdición del resto de sus días.

Este libro es confuso y raro.
El tema central sobre el que gira la trama son los sortes, sincronismos. Estos, básicamente, consisten en que se debe formular un pregunta en voz alta, dirigirse hacia una biblioteca con libros, tomar uno de ellos al azar (se supone que sentís un impulso) y elegir aleatoriamente, a dedo, una página, un pasaje de este; y esa, a veces más o menos metafórica, será la respuesta. La historia plantea que esta era una forma de predecir el futuro a la que acudían en la antiguedad los romanos y los griegos, usando las obras de Virgilio y la Biblia. Era una forma de comunicarse con seres superiores, con un mundo inmaterial, una especie de canal hacia lo inerte. Hasta aquí me resultó novedoso e incluso atractivo, porque aún me estoy aguantando las ganas de probarlo yo misma. Pero, resultó que las cosas no eran tan simples. Puedo llegar a entender que la idea de formular preguntas y hallar las respuestas en libros puede tornarse adictivo, no saber cuándo o cómo parar. No obstante, parece (y lo digo así, porque el autor no lo explica tampoco) que al leer cualquier libro de forma rápida, muchas veces, perdiendo la coherencia de su significado y al punto de memorizar versos o diálogos, se entraba en una especie de trance. Y cuando había más de una persona, cada una leía una pasaje determinado, rápido, sin tener sentido; después las lecturas se intercambiaban y se leían simultáneamente, sólo tomando conciencia del nuevo significado de cada palabra pronunciada por los distintos participantes. Esto generaba una suerte de éxtasis, y los lectores empezaban a tener alucinaciones, como oír melodías o ver estatuas que se movían. En otras palabras, se drogaban con los libros.
Si esto no es lo suficientemente raro, resulta que atrás de todo hay algo parecido a una secta, y son los únicos que conocen el significado de esto.
No me molesta creer en lo irreal, pero al menos necesito una explicación, algo que lo sustente y Barry McCrea nunca lo hace. De hecho, desde el inicio hasta la última página quedan muchos cabos sueltos, que no voy a mencionar porque sino les contaría todo el libro. Hay escenas, diálogos o reacciones de los personajes que no tienen razón alguna. Jamás comprendí quiénes era ellos, ¿por qué les enviaban informes con lo que ocurría cuando estaban en las sesiones?, ¿por qué Sarah y John trataban tan mal a Niall?, ¿por qué Niall era tan adulador frente a ese trato?; ¡¿quién es Pablo y por qué aparece cuando se cantan los versos de cierta canción?!; ¿qué significa todo lo de Keith y sus entrevistas, que no recordaba haber dicho lo de "pluralidad de botellas"?
Nada se explica, nada.

Si tuviese que destacar algo positivo, sería la escritura. Es muy atrapante y no podés parar de leer. Creo que en un punto también se debe a que querés saber si finalmente alguien va a explicar algo de lo que sucede, pero no le quitemos mérito. Además, reconozco que el autor tiene un muy buen manejo del suspenso. Sólo algunos capítulos me parecieron aburridos, porque era una sesión de sincronismo tras otra, pero vuelve a retomar el ritmo pronto. Si bien cada tanto, en mi opinión, exageraba con las analogías o descripciones, en general la escritura es buena.

La historia está narrada en primera persona y en pasado, a cargo del protagonista principal, lo que nos da acceso a sus pensamientos y sentimientos más profundos. Creo que nunca conocí un personaje tan inseguro. Niall era exasperante, porque podía ser un pobre incomprendido, y tras eso actuaba como un imbécil. Por momentos se mostraba superado y atrevido, mintiendo y engañando a todos, y más tarde tenía lástima de sí mismo, corría en dirección contraria por lo que venía luchando, e incluso parecía sentir vergüenza de su homosexualidad. Hay muchos tramos dedicados a sus idas y vueltas amorosas, algunas más promiscuas que otras. Me molestaba un poco que se sienta excitado ante cada hombre que veía o saludaba; entiendo que sea gay, pero no es un animal que no pueda controlar sus instintos. Aunque bueno, eso puede ser subjetivo.

El final es abrupto, y para no perder el hilo de aquello que lo antecede, no tiene sentido, o al menos sigo intentando encontrárselo. Lo leí, busqué si había algún epílogo que arroje cierta claridad, releí las páginas anteriores... No, no sé qué pasó.

Literati es una novela cautivante, bien escrita, con una trama inicial interesante y con personajes misteriosos y contradictorios. Sin embargo, el sin sentido que acompaña al libro en toda su extensión, las escasos argumentos y la falta de un rumbo definido, la convierten en una lectura vertiginosa, que crea más preguntas que respuestas. Barry McCrea nos presenta un mundo en el que me hubiese gustado creer, pero me deja la sensación que ni él ha sabido creerlo o justificarlo.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is about a young and closeted gay man - very young, I kept forgetting he was not even 20 as he often seemed older to me - who goes to university and meets some people who bring him into their book-based cult: they consult random books and random passages to answer questions about their lives and to divine the future. Great concept but I, like other reviewers, found the ending abrupt and tacked on - interesting but somehow unsatisfying.

[Ilya Petrov · Rating 3 out of 5]

El libro había empezado de una maravillosa manera al presentarnos a un protagonista gay, en un ambiente universitario irlandés con toques de fantasía y thriller. El desarrollo, sublime, pero el final trastoca todo lo que la historia ha ido montando a lo largo del libro. Te deja con una sensación muy extraña, como la del coche que se te encala.

[Julian Roag · Rating 2 out of 5]

Te atrapa muy bien al inicio, pero en ocasiones sentí a los personajes mucho más lejanos de lo que deberían, el final hizo que me gustara aún menos, es en ciertas partes entretenido y se lee muy rápido, pero no lo recomiendo

[Marianinna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comencé con mucho interés pero luego este se fue desinflando. No es mala la novela pero sentía que iba en círculos y no llegaba a ninguna parte. Esperaba más.

[Enrica Ferrara · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN
Why do we read? What do we need literature for?
According to Barry McCrea's The First Verse, it is answers we look for. This is why we read. In a sense, reading is an activity that shares a similar purpose with oracles, horoscopes, the Gospel, tarot cards, runes.
To what extent do we believe what books teach us?
Some of us - avid readers, translators, literary critics - believe in books so much that we end up blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction. We believe in them so much that we spend entire days and nights hanging on the edge of words, sinking deep in a trance-like state, imbued with a sense of magic and omnipotence, tumbling down the white rabbit hole like Alice once did.
Lastly, how do we interpret the meaning of books?
And it is in answering this question that The First Verse turns out to be a great little masterpiece.
Niall Lenihan, the protagonist of this compelling 2005 novel, has been awarded a scholarship to attend Trinity College Dublin. He lives on campus and tells us about his fresher’s year, the exhilaration of his life away from home, in the settings that global audiences are so familiar with after reading Sally Rooney's novels. Niall is gay, and his first year at Trinity is also an important time to come out of the closet, to experience his sexuality, and to tell his story. While all this happens, Niall becomes entangled in a game bigger than himself, a kind of cult in which books are used like an oracle to map the world's labyrinth, revealing burrows, gaps, secret passages. With his friends and “ministers” of this cult, John and Sarah, Niall throws himself heart and soul into bibliomancy, inspired by the principle of "sortes virgilianae." He asks books where to go, how to behave, where his friends are, how to live his life. Readers follow Niall as he moves through the city, going where the sortes from his books lead him, and realize that never have they seen nature and culture more strongly interconnected. But in the combinatorial mechanism of synchronicities that bind cosmos, humans, and books, there are also sinister traps, the inanity of idle pacing, the unrelenting tension of a thirst for knowledge that will never be sated. White magic and black magic.
A book of great originality, one of the best pieces of literature I have read in the past five years, highly entertaining, brilliant in style and content. It must be translated and published into Italian. What are we waiting for??


A che servono i libri? Che cosa cerchiamo nella letteratura?
The First Verse di Barry McCrea ci dice semplicemente: Risposte. Cerchiamo risposte. Come quando consultiamo un oracolo, un oroscopo, il Vangelo, i tarocchi, le rune.
Quanto crediamo a quello che ci insegnano i libri?
Alcuni di noi – lettori accaniti, traduttori, critici letterari - ci credono a tal punto da perdere il senso di quello che è realtà e quello che è finzione. Ci credono a tal punto da restare sospesi interi giorni e intere notti sul filo delle parole, come in uno stato di trance, pervasi da un senso di magia e di onnipotenza, continuando a sprofondare e sprofondare come Alice che insegue il bianco coniglio.
Ma soprattutto, come facciamo a interpretare il significato dei libri?
Ed è nel rispondere a questa domanda che The First Verse diventa un piccolo grande capolavoro.
Niall Lenihan, il protagonista di questo avvincente romanzo del 2005, è vincitore di una borsa di studio al Trinity College di Dublino. Vive al campus e ci racconta la sua esperienza di giovane matricola universitaria, l’euforia della sua vita lontano da casa, nei luoghi che il pubblico italiano ben conosce dai romanzi di Sally Rooney. Niall è gay e il primo anno al Trinity è anche un momento importante per fare outing, per vivere la propria sessualità e per raccontarsi. Mentre tutto questo accade, Niall resta invischiato in un gioco più grande di lui, una sorta di culto in cui i libri ci guidano a mappare il labirinto del mondo come fossero un oracolo, svelando cunicoli, intercapedini, passaggi segreti. Con i suoi amici-sacerdoti John e Sarah, Niall si butta anima e corpo nella bibliomanzia, ispirata al principio delle “sortes virgilianae”. Chiede ai libri dove andare, come comportarsi, dove sono i suoi amici, come vivere la propria vita. Noi lettori seguiamo Niall che si muove per la città, spostandosi dove lo guidano i libri e ci rendiamo conto che mai abbiamo visto natura e cultura più fortemente interconnessi. Ma nel meccanismo combinatorio degli eventi fortuiti che legano cosmo, umani e libri, ci sono anche delle trappole sinistre, l’inanità dell’incedere a vuoto, il logorio inesausto di un desiderio di conoscenza mai saziato. Magia bianca e magia nera.
Un libro di grande originalità, brillante nello stile e nel contenuto. Tradotto in spagnolo e tedesco. Che cosa aspettiamo a tradurlo in italiano?

[CMA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Literati es un libro que parte de una buena idea y una premisa atractiva, pero que, como he leído también en otras reseñas, no termina de desarrollar del todo bien su potencial ni de definir claramente sus propias líneas. Es de esos libros que parecen prometer mucho más de lo que finalmente entregan. ¡Vamos! Que el libro engaña: primero con la portada, que sugiere una época distinta a la que realmente transcurre la historia, y después con la sinopsis, que tampoco refleja con precisión de qué trata el libro.

Lo poco que se cuenta sobre la trama —eso de que el protagonista se une a un grupo de amigos que siguen un extraño culto literario y usan pasajes al azar de libros para responder a todas las preguntas— suena, de entrada, muy sugerente. Da la impresión de que la novela va a moverse entre lo misterioso, lo intelectual y lo inquietante. Pero a medida que avanza la lectura, esa promesa se diluye. Por eso no termino de coincidir con las frases promocionales que califican a Literati como “una de las novelas más novedosas e intrigantes de los últimos años”. Esas etiquetas generan unas expectativas que el libro, en mi opinión, no logra cumplir del todo.

Ahí, creo, está el principal problema. Literati parece debatirse entre dos caminos que nunca terminan de encontrarse. Por un lado, la historia pretende mantener un aire enigmático, con ese grupo de jóvenes obsesionados con la literatura y el destino. Por otro, hay una intención más introspectiva, casi psicológica, que apunta a un tema mucho más universal: el vacío interior que muchos jóvenes sienten y la forma en que intentan llenarlo con cualquier cosa, solo para no sentirse perdidos. Parece buscar más una reflexión sobre la adolescencia y la juventud como etapas de confusión, necesidad de aprobación, búsqueda desesperada de pertenencia y lo difícil que puede ser ocultar la propia esencia.

Volviendo a la trama, hay momentos que consiguen atrapar y otros que se vuelven reiterativos. La historia, parece girar sobre sí misma sin avanzar demasiado. No me convenció del todo cómo se resuelve la salida del culto: me pareció una transición demasiado repentina. El periodo de “recuperación” posterior sí me gustó, aunque desde el inicio se deja claro que el protagonista va a recaer.

Aun con sus altibajos, reconozco que hay partes ágiles y que la lectura, en general, no se me hizo pesada. Hubo algo, más allá de mi necesidad de no dejar libros a medias, que me hizo ir a por el final, necesitaba de entender. Pero al cerrar el libro, me quedé algo desconcertada, incluso un poco frustrada, me sentí tonta. No logré comprender del todo el final, ni el papel que juegan personajes como Pablo Virgómare o Keith Balfour, que parecen importantes pero quedan apenas esbozados.

Al final, ese ir y venir entre lo “intrigante” y lo “reflexivo” deja la sensación de que Literati quiere abarcar demasiado. Y, como dice el dicho, quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta. El libro insinúa más de lo que concreta: no llega a provocar una verdadera reflexión ni a sostener una atmósfera de misterio. Genera curiosidad, sí, pero no termina de conducir a un lugar claro, y cuando lo hace, el cierre deja la impresión de haberse quedado a medio camino. Aún así, hay algo en su narrativa que deja una pequeña huella, aunque no sé bien por qué.

[Anna Serra i Vidal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I really wanted to, but it's written in a way as if the writer was afraid to go all in. I don't believe Niall's descent into this secret society and its magic, I can't see the appeal he sees compared to the wonderful life he has at Trinity discovering his new sexuality.
I thought this was a book about books and the love of books, a literary obsession but it's not, books could be cereal packages for that matter, they are misstreated and not loved. Not read. The obession is another thing, not the books.
Niall is a new student at Trinity who got a scholarship to study English and French language. While he is setting in he makes new friends among freshmen students and also falls out of their circle while discovering the gay life in Dublin. I could understand this, this discovery was well written and I could believe it and root for him.
But then, he forgets about his student life, his gay life and becomes obsessed with something that starts as a game and then is presented as a kind of magic, but it's a magic the author didn't believe in and didn't go all in, it's not explained, it feels more like an alcohol induced vision than anything else. And abandoning everything for a high doesn't feel real to me.
The ending is also abrupt and leaves with lots of questions that aren't answered.
I've seen after reading it that this was the debut novel of this author, maybe I'll give him another chance and see if the newer ones get any better but this one was a total dissappointment for me.

[Rohan Crickmar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read a review for this novel years ago in THE GUARDIAN and had long sought it out to read. This may account for a little of my disappointment.

Feels very much like the debut of a post-grad lit student, feeling their way in to the lit fiction hinterland of their legendary literary forebears. Too smugly concerned with the allusiveness of a certain academic obsession with literature, the book isn't really very funny and the 'cult' angle of the narrative rapidly runs out of steam.

Despite the literary 'Dice Man' elements of the narrative, the novel is really a 'coming out' story that is too self-aware to trust in it's own dramatic power. I longed for more detailing of Niall's travails through the Dublin gay scene of the 2000s and more of his touching relationship with working class prole Colin. Instead the book keeps needlessly derailing itself into palimpsest moments of literary magpieing, like a particularly self-regarding display of scholarly peacock plumage. I had wondered why McCrea had buried himself in high end academia rather than novel writing, but having finally read this, I think I know why.

[Vivian Valvano · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the root of thieves premise, but the book turned out to be disappointing overall. A male Trinity College student from Sandycove loses his way as he moves from traditional first-year experiences to immersion in “sortes” with two people. These are divination practices; one asks a question, randomly picks a book and a page, then finds a passage that divines an answer. I was told that the novel was Joycean. Well, sure, there are some Joycean references (Sandycove, for God’s sake!) and quotations (eg, Buck Mulligan’s words all but hit you over the head), and there are excursions into hallucinations/mind games/dream worlds - but they’re not about to give Joyce any competition. A few moments when Paris overlays Dublin in the narrator’s consciousness are most promising, but McCrea drops those too quickly. His character’s obsession with the sortes yields esoteric, nightmarish, befuddling experiences that convey insanity more than any stream of consciousness.

[John Sheil · Rating 5 out of 5]

My great regret - not picking up this novel on its release. I have just finished reading this remarkable novel in three sessions. It becomes an obsession, matched by the crazy obsession of the narrator, Niall. Young Niall is an intriguing character who a reader can identify with, but also become frustrated with, as he becomes involves in a strange cult. Reality and fiction dissolve as the plot develops. Is the main character suffering a nervous breakdown? Probably. Are the people he befriends figments of his stressed out mind? Does he travel Paris? The fabulous thing about this is the the author, makes Niall's world so believable. There are literary references scattered throughout but they are fun. The Dublin depicted is from the first decade of this century and part of the fun is noting the way the city has both changed and remained the same since. I will be looking for Barry McCrea's name on new novel soon. I hope.

[Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering I wanted to rekindle my want to read again this book ignited it. Unusual and original would perhaps be my description of it as you follow Niall, a promising young man, falter into a maniac journey causing readers to want to slap him for each choice he makes. At times I had to take breaks, even take out google translate for my impatience to know the meaning of the range of texts ranging from Latin, Irish, French and Spanish integral to the story.

I hope one day I may see this adapted into a movie. It would be interesting how one would direct and portray the entrancing scenes described. The ending: not what I expected yet entirely so what I should have expected.

tldr: please read this book, I need someone to discuss it with

[Perla · Rating 2 out of 5]

La premisa me llamo mucho la atención pero al final el "culto literario" no fue lo suficientemente misterioso como esperaba. Algunos personajes se perdían durante la historia y regresaban en los peores momentos. Aunque los personajes eran adolescentes, se sentían como adultos en sus 23-26. Tarde en leerlo porque la narrativa es apresurada, algunas escenas esperaba algo de diálogo entre los personajes para ver sus interacciones pero solo se escribían dos párrafos y por ello me fue difícil conectar a los personajes entre sí.

[Spence · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't what I thought it be - for some reason, Google suggested it when I was looking for books similiar to Hanya Yanigihara's "A Little Life" - and although I much prefer works firmly grounded in reality, McCrea's writing style made it easy (and even enjoyable) to get through.

The plot is a bit confusing, especially the ending, and some parts did drag here and there, but I cannot bring myself to give the book any lower of a rating.

[Ángel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es una lástima que con una idea tan buena, el autor no haya conseguido crear una historia que te enganche. Con todos los elementos a su favor, de forma inexplicable (como el tema del libro), se enreda y se pierde en páginas aburridas, densas, que no aportan nada y te llevan a no querer seguir leyendo. Con un poco más de acción y algo de suspense, creo que hubiera sido suficiente para darle la vuelta a la historia y tendríamos un libro más que decente. Una pena.

[Aldo Galdana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las 4 * es por que el final me dejo sin nada claro y me pareció una trampa truculenta del autor para conseguir uno de dos efectos: no olvidarlo con facilidad o una reelectura pronto.

Niall esta tan bien perfilado que sentí su angustia en el descendo a esa adicción en el que se vio envuelto.

Me queda la perturvación si yo caeré en algún momento en la magia de los Sortés.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most engaging books I have read in a long time. Wonderfully written, plotted, and paced, it takes the reader to a journey through a city that comes alive in all its beauty and ugliness, and into the obsession of a young mind. It certainly made me obsessed about reading it well into the night. I couldn't recommend it more.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant and terrifying, heart wrenching and thrilling. All in all a fantastic piece that leaves the reader wondering whether there's more to books than their cover.

[bigguccireads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow start but after page ~75 it picks up and I was hooked! The characters are well rounded and the literary cult is hella intriguing. Interesting reading some of the Irish vernacular too

[Daniel]

Unconvincing, wish-fulfillment, word-vomitting

[Nick Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niall is a young Dublin student who has got a place on a scholarship to the prestigious Trinity College. He does the usual college things; he makes new friends, goes drinking, goes to parties, and even does a little bit of studying.

He is drawn out of college life firstly by his introduction into Dublin's gay scene. He has always been gay, as far as he knows, and has suffered unrequited love for a straight friend. The rough and ready Dublin scene heralds the awakening of him as a sexual being, and he enjoys it. Mostly.

However, the one thing that draws him out of both of these threads of his life is an archaic approach to its direction: the art of sortes, which means asking a question, choosing a book at random - any book, a novel, chick-lit or classic, a cookbook, a guide book, a maths textbook - and then opening it at random to find an answer that usually needs quite a bit of interpretation. He is initiated into the sortes rituals by the enigmatic Sarah, a mature Trinity student of about 30, and her younger friend John. Gradually, the sortes obsess them all as they try to get to the elusive 'next level' of an organisation known as Pour Mieux Vivre - 'A Better Life' - and take over their lives: John loses his job as a financial clerk and Niall's course rapidly goes down the pan, as does his involvement in the gay scene and his interest in putative boyfriend Chris. The rather obnoxious Sarah seems to be untouched by such calamities.

The Dublin portrayed by Barry McCrea is a vibrant, moving city that stands up well. It's not Ulysses (though a line or two from Ulysses has a prominent part in the book) but it's a great update. The second part of the book is set in Paris, where Niall seeks John and Sarah, at first, and then avoids them, and leads a strange and haunted nocturnal life. McCrea does justice to Paris, too.*

If this all sounds like utter nonsense, it kind of is, at times. There were a few passages that made me want to junk the book, but it's such an enjoyable read in its essence that I couldn't convince myself to put it down.

I read it partly because I saw it described as one of those books that owe something to Donna Tartt's The Secret History, and I wasn't disappointed in this aspect of it: Niall is as self-absorbed and hapless as TSH's Richard Papen at times, as erudite, and as pitiable, but, just as often, as plausible.


*I guess I'm informed by having lived in both cities, though not for a long time.