Civilizations by Laurent Binet

 

It all starts here at a Viking farm in Greenland, where I visited last summer.

Civilizations: A Novel by Laurent Binet is a counterfactual history of the relationship between the peoples of the old world and the peoples of the new world. Published in French in 2019, and in English in 2021, it is a best seller in France and won prizes there.

The novel starts with the Vikings; as the Guardian review explains it:

“First up is a spoof Norse saga, describing how Vikings not only made it to Vinlandia, the coast of North America, but as far south as what is now Panama. Erik the Red’s daughter Freydis (whose party trick of beating her breast with a sword is faithfully entered into the record) befriended the local skraelings – as the Vikings called Native Americans – and, crucially, introduced them to two technologies: horses and iron. (She also set them on the painful road to herd immunity to Old World diseases.)” (source)

Centuries later, Columbus lands in the same area that had been affected by the arrival of the Vikings; however, he has no luck. His men are killed and his ships rendered useless. 

But wait! Counter-history goes on, and the Inca and other native American heirs of those who defeated him sail to Lisbon, and gradually take over the kingdom of Spain. They learn many things, including the religious rivalries, the food, the wine (which they call “the black drink”) and the oppression of the peasants. As their power grows, they grant the religious rights and protection to the many minorities of Spain including conversos, Jews, Moriscos, Lutherans, Erasmians, sodomites and witches, and repeal the edict of 1492 that led to vast persecutions. So there, European history!

The history of the takeover of Spain by the Inca leader continues in many places that I’ve been, including
the Cathedral of Cordoba, a completely fascinating place. (Image from Wikipedia)

Both Islamic and Christian architecture styles are visible in he interior of the cathedral of Cordoba, which is a complete church inside a huge former mosque. The Inca, Atahualpa, significantly chooses this location for his marriage to Isabella, widow of the king of Spain. After this marriage, the Inca arranges for Isabella’s son, the child-king of Spain, to be drowned, seemingly by accident, as he had also killed King Charles. With them out of the way, he can take over the kingdom:

“Isabella, destroyed by her son’s death, did not have the strength to deny Atahualpa’s request a second time; and so Charles Quint’s widow became his secondary wife. The ceremony was more solemn than joyous, since she was still in mourning. In order not to deepen the bride’s sadness, it took place not in Seville’s cathedral – where Charles’s remains now rested – but in Córdoba’s. Inca pomp met royal Spanish pomp. The king of Spain placed sandals on the feet of his new bride, then llamas were sacrificed, as custom dictated. Crates of jewellery were delivered to the queen.” (Civilizations, p. 167)

Everything historic turns upside down. In counter-history, it’s the Inca conquerors who change agriculture in their new world. Instead of destruction of a prosperous people as in actual South American history, the Spaniards are transformed from poverty to wealth, and the foods of the Americans and the social programs of the conquering ruler improve their welfare:

“He created granaries. The meat of the slaughtered sheep was cut into strips, salted, dried. The grains of corn and quinoa were turned into flour. The potato tubers were frozen at night and dried during the day so that they could be conserved for several moons. Food supplies were kept in earthenware jars or buried in deep holes. With these reserves, he would be able to feed anyone who was hungry in times of scarcity, plague or ruined harvests.” (p. 172) 

The Inca continues with conquests and reforms in Europe and North Africa — which he refers to as “the Fifth Quarter.”  He is either fighting or making alliances with many of the most famous rulers and leaders of the time. I found it fun to read the author’s rewriting of the lives and identities of so many famous people. Here is another of the many examples: 

Portrait of Anton Fugger c. 1525 by Hans Maler.
(Philadelphia Museum of Art)

“When [the Inca] arrived in Augsburg, he immediately held talks with the most powerful man in the city, and perhaps in the whole of Germany. … The banker welcomed him into his vast estate, situated in the heart of the city, just as he had once welcomed his predecessor, Charles Quint. The Inca liked Fugger’s palace, which was made of a sandy stone. It had a solid simplicity that reminded him of the buildings in Quito. … He enjoyed the feast that the banker had had prepared for him. And the beer wasn’t bad either. The two men had a lot to discuss. Anton Fugger was dressed simply, if a little strangely, even by the standards of the Fifth Quarter. He wore a black coat, with a collarless white shirt visible beneath it, and a hat in the shape of a wide, soft pancake. His hair was enveloped in a sort of bag and there was something vaporous about his beard, which was thick in places and patchy in others. His hands were concealed beneath fine white gloves.” (p. 195)

The reign of The Inca over the major areas of Europe continues dramatically, as he meets more and more famous people and as they meet a counter-historical fate. There's a logical end to the tale, but then there is a kind of coda about the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, which seems to me a bit of an afterthought.

Mural of the Battle of Lepanto, October 1571, by Antonio Vassilacchi (1556-1629). (source)

Cervantes’ participation in the Battle of Lepanto is part of the weirdly revised history; that is, the author’s invention of the Inca conquest of Europe. After the battle, Cervantes is sheltered by the French writer Montaigne, and eventually is sent to the Americas. The counter-historical version of Cervantes doesn’t clearly manage to write Don Quixote, as far as I know. Understanding these episodes asks the reader to rely on a detailed knowledge of history and literature that’s challenging, at least for me, and I found this final chapter a bit too much!

Civilizations is a very strange novel, both in concept and in style. Sometimes I felt as if the author was showing off, while sometimes it seemed quite interesting. For example, I enjoyed the descriptions of art works depicting the conquering Inca by famous artists such as Titian and Michaelangelo. But there were parts of the novel that were somewhat overdone. I didn't really appreciate all the different narrators and voices that were introduced, such as the epic poet who glorifies the conquest, the excerpts from a diary said to be by Columbus, and other stylized ways that the author told the story. As I say — strange and not entirely readable.

Book review © 2023 mae sander