Umberto Eco
His most famous book, In the Name of the Rose, was made into a successful film starring Sean Connery. The author, however, is hardly a populist.
For most of his adult life, he was a professor of semiotics at University of Bologna, and his output was mainly academic before he turned to novel writing at the age of nearly 50. He has written ten other fictional works, including Foucault's Pendulum and The Island of the Day Before. These, and his journalist writings in his Italy have earned him the title as "The Most Famous Intellectual in the World."
Let's discuss the life and works of Umberto Eco.
| by Anonymous | reply 20 | December 9, 2024 2:21 PM
|
Love his work! The Name of the Rose is one of my favorite books!
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | December 8, 2024 5:07 PM
|
It was my love for him in “Island of the Day Before” that got me a job at Banque Nationale de Paris!
I scribbled references in a notebook of “Foucalt’s Pendulum” and “The Name of the Rose” - so many rabbit holes to dive into. My knowledge of European History was pathetic.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | December 8, 2024 5:26 PM
|
R4 that is neat, care to share more?
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | December 8, 2024 5:54 PM
|
I have a really cool volume, essays title On Ugliness. It’s very interesting material.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | December 8, 2024 6:00 PM
|
OP needsd to discover Jean-Chriistophe Rufin.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | December 8, 2024 6:09 PM
|
R5, it really is like Data Lounge; you lose yourself for a while and then breach.
There was so much going on during the so-called dark ages that produced extreme response. Many were broken by knowledge of a new world and some fought viciously to remain relevant.
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | December 8, 2024 6:21 PM
|
[quote] His most famous book, In the Name of the Rose
Oh, [italic]dear.[/italic]
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | December 8, 2024 6:23 PM
|
I tried to watch that movie once —didn’t make it through.
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | December 8, 2024 6:24 PM
|
We read The Name of the Rose in a history class I took in college and I loved it. I am fascinated with the High and Late middle ages. If I didn't have to think about earning money, I would love to audit history lectures at my local university. Maybe I will. I miss reading smart things. Thanks for this post, OP.
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | December 8, 2024 6:41 PM
|
I value his essay on Ur-Fascism. I've never read his novels, but maybe it's time to read one.
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | December 8, 2024 6:42 PM
|
There’s a collection called “Adventures in Hyperreality” in which he directly warns newsprint and magazine publishers where their value is headed - they have to be more in-depth and less of-the-moment.
This was a wonderful explanation of the mundane existence determined by my zip code.
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | December 8, 2024 7:21 PM
|
Fascinating stuff! What are your favorite books by him?
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | December 8, 2024 8:37 PM
|
I love “Foucault’s Pendulum.” Some wags working in a minor Italian publishing firm decide to create as a joke an occult account involving the Knights Templar, among other shadowy organizations. They are later seriously surprised to learn that not only have they been taken seriously, but their fictional work may in fact be all too real.
Stylistically, though, Eco delights in multi-various digressions away from his central fascinating premise. For those who like Eco, it all seems like an intellectual’s thrill ride. Which in fact is maybe what he meant. Most engrossing.
| by Anonymous | reply 15 | December 8, 2024 10:14 PM
|
R15 I enjoy the tangents, sometimes.
| by Anonymous | reply 16 | December 9, 2024 2:03 AM
|
What about Italo Calvino?
| by Anonymous | reply 17 | December 9, 2024 3:10 AM
|
R15 I love all that ancient lore and societies. I was one of those who could not put down Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code.
| by Anonymous | reply 18 | December 9, 2024 4:16 AM
|
