Nailing Down the Saint
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Nailing Down the Saint
Craig Cliff’s "Nailing Down the Saint" offers a surprisingly grounded look at a life steeped in alleged miracles. The novel’s strength lies in its wry portrayal of Duncan Blake, a filmmaker whose own terrestrial struggles—a failing marriage, a dead-end job, a child obsessed with Disney—provide a stark counterpoint to the celestial aspirations of his subject, Saint Joseph of Copertino. Cliff navigates this dichotomy with a keen, often humorous, eye for the absurdities of both artistic ambition and spiritual fervor. The depiction of Blake’s descent into the minutiae of location scouting for a biopic, while simultaneously wrestling with his own life’s unraveling, is particularly well-rendered. However, the narrative occasionally strains to fully integrate the more overtly mystical elements of Saint Joseph’s story into Blake’s personal drama, leaving some of the saint's purported levitations feeling somewhat detached from the core emotional arc. Despite this, the book succeeds as a compelling exploration of how extraordinary lives are perceived and processed through the lens of ordinary, often beleaguered, human experience. Cliff has crafted a novel that is both specific in its focus and broadly resonant in its examination of aspiration and disillusionment.
📝 Description
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### What It Is
Craig Cliff's 2019 novel, "Nailing Down the Saint," charts the faltering career and personal life of Duncan Blake, a New Zealand filmmaker struggling in Los Angeles. Blake finds himself working in a restaurant, his marriage strained and his son preoccupied with animation. A potential career revival emerges when he's tasked with scouting locations for a biopic about Saint Joseph of Copertino, a 17th-century friar known for his alleged levitations.
### Who It's For
This work will appeal to readers who appreciate literary fiction that incorporates unusual biographical subjects and explores the intersection of the mundane and the miraculous. Those interested in the lives of saints, particularly figures with documented mystical experiences, may find the narrative engaging. It also speaks to individuals grappling with mid-life anxieties, creative block, and the challenges of maintaining relationships amidst personal setbacks.
### Historical Context
The novel centers on Saint Joseph of Copertino (1603–1663), an Italian friar and mystic whose reported ecstatic visions and levitations during religious services led to widespread belief and subsequent investigations by the Inquisition. He was canonized in 1767. Cliff's work places this historical figure’s extraordinary life within the context of modern-day Hollywood and a filmmaker’s desperate search for meaning and professional redemption.
### Key Concepts
"Nailing Down the Saint" engages with themes of faith, doubt, and the nature of belief. It contrasts the otherworldly reputation of Saint Joseph of Copertino with the gritty realities of contemporary life. The narrative probes the filmmaker's own spiritual or existential void, juxtaposing it with the saint's documented supernatural abilities. The book also explores the challenges of artistic creation and the search for purpose when faced with personal and professional crises.
💡 Why Read This Book?
• Gain insight into the historical figure of Saint Joseph of Copertino, a 17th-century friar known for his levitations, and how his story intersects with modern anxieties. • Experience a unique blend of literary fiction and biographical exploration, examining the challenges of creative careers and personal relationships. • Discover how the novel uses the concept of flight, both literal and metaphorical, to explore themes of escape, aspiration, and spiritual longing.
⭐ Reader Reviews
Honest opinions from readers who have explored this book.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of the novel "Nailing Down the Saint"?
The novel follows Duncan Blake, a Kiwi filmmaker in LA, who gets a chance to scout locations for a biopic about Saint Joseph of Copertino, an Italian friar canonized in 1767 for his alleged levitations and mystical experiences.
What are the main themes explored in Craig Cliff's novel?
The book explores themes of faith, doubt, the mundane versus the miraculous, artistic ambition, mid-life struggles, and the search for meaning amidst personal and professional crises.
Who was Saint Joseph of Copertino?
Saint Joseph of Copertino (1603–1663) was an Italian Franciscan friar renowned for his profound religious ecstasy and alleged instances of levitation during prayer and religious services.
What is the setting for the "Nailing Down the Saint"?
The novel is primarily set in Los Angeles, California, where the protagonist Duncan Blake is trying to advance his filmmaking career, and also features Italian settings relevant to Saint Joseph of Copertino's life.
When was "Nailing Down the Saint" first published?
Craig Cliff's novel "Nailing Down the Saint" was first published on August 6, 2019.
Does the book deal with supernatural events?
Yes, the book engages with the historical accounts of Saint Joseph of Copertino's alleged levitations and mystical experiences, contrasting them with the protagonist's everyday struggles.
🔮 Key Themes & Symbolism
Faith and Skepticism
The novel probes the chasm between fervent belief and cynical disbelief. Duncan Blake, the protagonist, grapples with his own lack of spiritual conviction while preparing a film about Saint Joseph of Copertino, a 17th-century friar documented for miraculous levitations. The narrative questions how genuine faith is perceived and whether extraordinary events can bridge the gap for the skeptical observer, especially within the commercialized world of filmmaking.
The Artist's Struggle
Cliff delves into the anxieties of creative professionals facing professional stagnation and personal dissolution. Duncan's journey mirrors the plight of many artists whose ambition clashes with the harsh realities of the industry and life's inevitable setbacks. The pursuit of a biopic on a saint becomes both a potential lifeline and a reflection of his own elusive search for meaning and artistic validation.
Miracle and Mundanity
A central tension in "Nailing Down the Saint" is the juxtaposition of the sacred and the profane. The alleged supernatural abilities of Saint Joseph of Copertino, including his famed levitations, are placed against the backdrop of Duncan's decidedly un-miraculous existence in Los Angeles. This contrast highlights the human tendency to seek the extraordinary amidst the everyday, and the challenges of reconciling spiritual wonder with material concerns.
Fatherhood and Family
The novel touches upon the complexities of family dynamics, particularly Duncan's relationship with his son and the strains on his marriage. The son's absorption in popular culture, like 'Aladdin,' serves as a symbol of a different kind of modern-day enchantment, contrasting with the historical religious fervor surrounding Saint Joseph. These familial elements ground the narrative, adding layers to Duncan's personal crisis.
💬 Memorable Quotes
“Duncan Blake is a Kiwi filmmaker whose move to LA has not gone to plan.”
— This sets the stage for the protagonist's predicament, immediately establishing his displacement and professional disappointment in the unforgiving landscape of Hollywood, a common theme for artists seeking success abroad.
“his marriage is on shaky ground after a porn-related faux pas”
— This detail injects a dose of contemporary, relatable marital discord into the narrative, grounding the more ethereal aspects of the story in recognizable human failings and relationship struggles.
“his son won't stop watching Aladdin”
— This highlights a generational contrast and the mundane distractions of modern life that preoccupy the protagonist's family, serving as a counterpoint to the historical religious and mystical themes.
“scout locations for a fated director's biopic of Saint Joseph of Copertino”
— This phrase signals the narrative's pivot towards the saint's story and introduces the element of destiny or fate, suggesting this project might be more than just a job for the struggling filmmaker.
“Saint Joseph of Copertino, a 17th-century friar known for his alleged levitations”
— This succinctly introduces the historical figure and his most famous purported miracle, framing the central biographical element that drives the plot and provides the esoteric core of the novel.
🌙 Esoteric Significance
Tradition
The work touches upon Christian mysticism, specifically the hagiography and reported miraculous events associated with saints. While not strictly Hermetic or Gnostic, it aligns with a broader Western esoteric interest in figures who exhibit extraordinary states of consciousness and physical phenomena, like levitation, often interpreted through a lens of spiritual attainment or divine intervention.
Symbolism
The primary symbol is levitation itself, representing transcendence over material limitations, spiritual ascent, or perhaps a manifestation of intense inner states. Saint Joseph's ecstatic visions symbolize a direct, unmediated connection to the divine, contrasting sharply with the protagonist's mundane reality. The film project acts as a symbol for the struggle to translate profound spiritual or historical experiences into accessible, contemporary narratives.
Modern Relevance
Contemporary interest in figures like Saint Joseph of Copertino, fueled by popular culture's fascination with the miraculous and unexplained, finds resonance in Cliff's novel. It speaks to modern spiritual seekers who look beyond conventional religious dogma for evidence of the extraordinary, and to those exploring altered states of consciousness, potentially drawing parallels with contemporary psychological or parapsychological studies.
👥 Who Should Read This Book
• Readers of literary fiction interested in biographical narratives that incorporate elements of the mystical and historical. • Individuals exploring themes of faith, doubt, and the search for meaning in contemporary life, particularly within artistic or professional contexts. • Those curious about the lives of saints and the historical accounts of extraordinary phenomena like levitation, presented through a modern, often ironic, perspective.
📜 Historical Context
Craig Cliff's "Nailing Down the Saint" engages with the historical figure of Saint Joseph of Copertino, an Italian Franciscan friar whose life (1603–1663) was marked by extraordinary claims of ecstatic visions and levitation. Canonized in 1767, Joseph was a subject of intense interest and scrutiny during his lifetime, including investigations by the Inquisition, reflecting the era's complex relationship with religious fervor and perceived supernatural phenomena. The novel, published in 2019, situates this 17th-century mystic within the contemporary milieu of Hollywood filmmaking, a stark contrast to the religious and intellectual currents of Baroque Italy. While the period saw significant scientific advancements alongside deeply held religious beliefs, Cliff's work explores how such historical figures are reinterpreted through modern secular lenses. The novel's reception did not involve significant contemporary scholarly debate regarding competing schools of thought on mysticism at the time of its release, but rather focused on its literary merits and unique premise.
📔 Journal Prompts
Saint Joseph of Copertino's alleged levitations and their interpretation.
Duncan Blake's career aspirations versus his current reality.
The contrast between a son watching 'Aladdin' and historical religious ecstasy.
The challenges of creating a biopic about a figure known for miracles.
The nature of faith when confronted by documented extraordinary events.
🗂️ Glossary
Saint Joseph of Copertino
An Italian Franciscan friar (1603–1663) canonized in 1767, famous for his alleged ecstatic trances and levitations during religious services.
Levitation
The act of rising into the air and hovering, often attributed in religious or mystical contexts to divine intervention or profound spiritual states.
Biopic
A film that dramatizes the life of a real person or people. In this context, it refers to a planned film about Saint Joseph of Copertino.
Hagiography
The biography of the life of a saint or recognized holy person, often emphasizing miraculous deeds and spiritual attributes.
Inquisition
Historically, judicial bodies within the Catholic Church tasked with combating heresy. Saint Joseph of Copertino was investigated by such authorities.
Ecstasy
A state of being beyond one's usual self, characterized by intense emotion or spiritual rapture, often associated with mystical experiences.
Mundanity
The quality of being commonplace, ordinary, or earthly; the opposite of the extraordinary or miraculous.
