The conversation circles a recent book that has sparked plenty of conversation: three crowns for a king, a tale set among a court and its many enigmas. The discussion ventures into Henry III, the collaboration of power and information, and the arc of a culture that hopes to illuminate the present by revisiting the past. Nuccio Ordine, a widely recognized Italian essayist, holds an honorary doctorate and has earned awards in many countries, including his homeland. Born in 1958 in Diamante, Calabria, Ordine has long pursued the puzzle of culture and history, a puzzle that centers on the figure of Giordano Bruno, the free-thinking philosopher who traveled across Europe centuries ago. In Ordine’s view, Bruno embodies the idea that the world is ordinary in its wonder, even as nations rise and fall around it, and that understanding our shared past helps explain the forces shaping our present and forecasting the future.
The interview unfolds as a meditation on how to tell a past from the vantage of today. The journalist asks for a lens that makes the past legible in the light of current events, and the dialogue becomes a portrait of Bruno as a citizen of Europe who spoke with imagination about the unity of culture across borders. The scene captures Ordine’s belief that Europe’s cultural bonds matter just as much as its political and economic ties when it comes to shaping a future that values thought and civilization over destruction.
Questioning the persistence of imperialist impulses after World War II, the interviewer and Ordine explore how knowledge of literature, art, philosophy, and religion remains essential for understanding political power. The point is not to claim that specialization is useless, but to insist that a historian must know more than their narrow field. In Bruno’s era, Europe was not yet united, yet philosophers and scientists engaged in a shared discourse. This cross-cultural exchange, Ordine argues, was the true engine of European identity even before a political unity existed.
The discussion turns to the work of two philologists who, after a world war, attempted to knit Europe back together: Erich Auerbach and Ernst Robert Curtius. Their books, published in the late 1940s, traced literature from Homer to modern authors and argued that literature can help a fractured world imagine a future of shared values. In this view, cultural solidarity is a counterweight to mere economic calculations, and the idea of Europe gains depth when seen through the lens of cultural dialogue rather than market forces alone.
Ordine notes that the present moment does not lend itself to a simple division between good and evil. He contends that imperialism persists in various forms, including the United States, and that Europe must develop its own autonomous approach to global power. The question of peace is not a straightforward one, he adds, and the fate of Ukraine deserves solidarity, even as every action has a broader historical context that deserves critical scrutiny.
The conversation touches a notable gathering at a museum where leaders gathered for a discussion on contemporary conflict and the role of culture in peace. The possibility of transforming conflict into conversation is praised, yet the exchange also calls out contradictions—arms purchases funding education and culture, an irony that underscores the tension between power and cultural advancement. Bruno’s idea of religion as a force for social harmony receives careful consideration as a way to understand how belief and civic life intersect, and Ordine argues that cultural institutions should serve people, not merely the state.
The book invites readers to imagine Bruno roaming the courts of Europe as a cosmopolitan thinker who found homes in Paris, England, and Prague. His career moves reflect the friction between ideas and political power, a friction that often sidelined a thinker who insisted on speaking truth to power. Bruno’s contemporaries understood that dialogue among radicals is harder than dialogue among moderates, and Ordine emphasizes that the ultimate task is to keep challenging assumptions even when the powerful resist such challenges.
As the discussion unfolds, Bruno’s broader message remains clear: religion should serve peace and mutual understanding, not factionalism or supremacy. The interview hints at a future in which a reformist Church, under leaders who prioritize social welfare, might be more receptive to Bruno’s ethic of truth-telling. Pope Francis stands as a modern reference point in this regard, advocating a Christianity that prioritizes the hungry, the thirsty, and the vulnerable. The persistence of philosophical courage—speaking the truth even when it unsettles those in power—emerges as a central idea the author wants readers to carry forward.
In a postscript delivered after the conversation, the journalist shares a closing reflection that Bruno’s thinking reveals how religious and political strife erode civilization. Destruction and disruption undermine knowledge and culture, leaving no true winners in war. The ruler, in this frame, is a healer who must balance power with responsibility. The book also highlights poets and artists who illuminate this ruler-doctor metaphor, tracing a lineage from Plato through Machiavelli and beyond. The underlying message is clear: the strongest thinkers are those who resist simply saying yes to power, choosing instead to occupy the less comfortable, more critical position that fosters genuine civic health.
In the end, the book celebrates what it calls the benefit of the useless, a phrase that resonates as a reminder that cultural labor often goes unseen yet sustains a community. The final pages present a compact catalog of the work, listing the ideas, the historical moments, and the questions that continue to guide thought about Europe, culture, and the ethical responsibilities of intellect in public life. The text invites readers to carry Bruno’s spirit forward, to engage with difficult questions, and to imagine a future where culture remains the steady compass in the storms of power and politics.
The discussion culminates in a concise section titled The Benefit of the Useless, framing the essential argument of the volume and situating Nuccio Ordine as a thoughtful voice in contemporary cultural dialogue. The edition presents a compact exploration of how literature, philosophy, and art can sustain a civilization even when the winds of history threaten to upend it. This is a work that invites readers to find courage in critique, to recognize the value of cultural work, and to understand how the past can illuminate the present without obscuring its own complexity. The final pages leave readers with a renewed sense that culture, in all its forms, remains a vital ally in shaping a humane and thoughtful world.
176 pages. €9.50