Pope John XXIV is a thinly disguised Harold Wilson and his Secretary of State is Enrico Berlinguer. Other references are more obscure; opera-lovers with a good knowledge of Latin will, however, be able to identify the two castrati from the Vatican, Federicus Mirabilis and Lupigradus Viaventosa, as the German singers Fritz Wunderlich and Wolfgang Windgassen, both recently deceased when Amis was writing.
Pope John XXIV is a fictionalized version of Harold Wilson, with Enrico Berlinguer serving as his Secretary of State. Other references are more obscure, but opera aficionados familiar with Latin will recognize the two castrati from the Vatican, Federicus Mirabilis and Lupigradus Viaventosa, as the deceased German singers Fritz Wunderlich and Wolfgang Windgassen.