The Immortal Count

March 25, 2003 8:16 PM

Who was Count Saint-Germain? I was reading Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum (discussed a bit here) and encountered the Count Saint-Germain, who I had vague recollections of from an episode of ...In Search Of. Turns out he is a pretty fascinating character, and has been labelled a genius, a charlatan, and even a vampire.
posted by synecdoche (5 comments total)

I have come to know the (fictional) Count Saint-Germain through the novels of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. There are about 15, mostly out of print. The first one is called Hotel Transylvania, but it is a lot less cheesy than it sounds. Saint-Germain is most emphatically not your Anne Rice or Laurell K. Hamilton style vampire, and the books are definitely not about that glamourous vampire lifestyle. For the most part, they're extremely well-researched historical novels, each set in a different time period, and dealing with realistic hurdles that everyday people of the time might have faced, as well as the prejudices and risks of exposure that a vampire might have faced.
posted by kate_fairfax at 8:39 PM on March 25, 2003

He has his own comic, too.
And are these textads smart or spooky: Buy "Baudolino" Here By Umberto Eco. Only $18.90. On sale now! Amazon affiliate.small>
posted by Shane at 9:26 PM on March 25, 2003

nice post...very intriguing.
posted by advil at 9:42 PM on March 25, 2003

Still alive (might indicate he's a vampire, then ?), and doing quality house/jazz/downtempo music.
Which I, for one, recommend...
posted by XiBe at 1:21 AM on March 26, 2003

He also is a key figure in a role playing game...

like here
posted by oninochuck at 10:54 AM on March 26, 2003