The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller
8 hrs. 3 min.
Language
Russian
Author
Carlo Ginzburg
Author
Carlo Ginzburg
Narrator
Alexey Voskoboynikov
Narrator
Alexey Voskoboynikov
Description
In 1583, a long inquisition process began, lasting for several years. Before the court appeared Domenico Scandella, known as Menocchio—an Italian miller accused of audacious reflections on God and faith that did not fit the commonly accepted ideas of that era. To many of his contemporaries, he seemed to be a convinced freethinker: both the scope of his interests and his unusual interpretations of religious and humanist books were striking, as were the bold conclusions that have not lost their edge even today. Rome closely monitored the case and put an end to any attempts by the local tribunal to show leniency toward the accused. Unable to fully renounce his beliefs, Menocchio found himself before the church court a second time—and already the final time. In the autumn of 1599, the Inquisition sentenced Domenico Scandella to be burned.
Why did an ordinary miller from a small Friulian village end up in the spotlight of heresy hunters? How did a personal vision of how the world is organized lead a man to his death? And who was Menocchio— a heretic or a true genius of his time?
Drawing on documents from the inquisitorial court, the outstanding Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg vividly and in detail reconstructs Menocchio’s inner world, while also portraying the age and giving a voice to the “silent majority”—ordinary people. [“Cheese and Worms”] shows how the archives of the Inquisition allow us to hear the quiet voices of those who left almost no trace in official chronicles, and helps us look anew at themes that remain important today: from the clash between the people and power to the complex interweaving of oral tradition and written culture.
The book has been translated into 26 languages and is considered one of the key works of modern historiography.
Why did an ordinary miller from a small Friulian village end up in the spotlight of heresy hunters? How did a personal vision of how the world is organized lead a man to his death? And who was Menocchio— a heretic or a true genius of his time?
Drawing on documents from the inquisitorial court, the outstanding Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg vividly and in detail reconstructs Menocchio’s inner world, while also portraying the age and giving a voice to the “silent majority”—ordinary people. [“Cheese and Worms”] shows how the archives of the Inquisition allow us to hear the quiet voices of those who left almost no trace in official chronicles, and helps us look anew at themes that remain important today: from the clash between the people and power to the complex interweaving of oral tradition and written culture.
The book has been translated into 26 languages and is considered one of the key works of modern historiography.
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