ECO, Umberto

ECO, Umberto
(1932-)
   Italian academic and writer, famed for his work in history, philosophy, literary criticism and semiotics. While his novels are not explicitly sf, he shares with much of the best of the genre a central concern with both the nature of ideas and the moral significance of the methods by which we determine what is true. Il Nome della Rosa (1980; trans William Weaver as The Name of the Rose 1983 US/UK) is a medieval detective story (and a story about detection), an exploration of the detective's empirical approach to the world and the importance of humour, set against the fanatical certainties of medieval Christianity. Il Pendolo di Foucault (1988; trans William Weaver as Foucault's Pendulum 1989 US) tells the story of a group of Italian intellectuals who, appalled by the stupidity of the books on mysticism and occult history that they publish for a living, decide to construct their own conspiracy theory of history, and discover that the human PERCEPTION of reality is more subtle than they had anticipated (FABULATION). UE's fiction is remarkably inventive, sophisticated and humorous, expressive of a profound love for life over sterile abstraction.
   NT/PhR
   Other works: Travels in Hyperreality (coll trans William Weaver et al 1987 US), journalism and essays.
   See also: ITALY.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Encyclopedia. . 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Eco, Umberto — (1932– )    One of the world’s leading philosophers and a pioneer in the study of semiotics (the analysis of signs), Umberto Eco is that rarest of birds, a professor who is both internationally respected within the academy and widely read outside …   Historical Dictionary of modern Italy

  • Eco, Umberto — born Jan. 5, 1932, Alessandria, Italy Italian critic and novelist. He has taught since 1971 at the University of Bologna. In The Open Work (1962), he suggested that some literature and modern music is fundamentally ambiguous and invites the… …   Universalium

  • Eco,Umberto — E·co (ĕʹkō), Umberto. Born 1932. Italian writer best known for his novels, including The Name of the Rose (1981). He has also written extensively on semiotics and British and American popular culture. * * * …   Universalium

  • Eco, Umberto — ► (n. 1932) Semiólogo y crítico literario italiano. Autor de obras dedicadas a la estética y, sobre todo, a la semiótica: Obra abierta (1962) y La estructura ausente (1968), entre otras. Ha publicado varias novelas, como El nombre de la rosa… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Eco, Umberto —  (1932–) Italian academic and novelist …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Eco, Umberto — (Alessandria 1932 ) saggista, narratore, diffusore dello strutturalismo; semiologo; condirettore de “Il Marcatré”. collab./opere: “Il Verri” …   Dizionario biografico elementare del Novecento letterario italiano

  • Umberto Eco — (* 5. Januar 1932 in Alessandria, Piemont) ist ein italienischer Schriftsteller, Kolumnist, Philosoph, Medienwissenschaftler und wohl der bekannteste zeitgenössische Semiotiker. Durch seine Romane, allen voran …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Umberto Eco — Nacimiento 5 de enero de 1932 (79 años) Alessandria, Piamonte …   Wikipedia Español

  • Umberto Eco — Linguiste occidental XXe siècle Umberto Eco en 2005 Naissance : 5 janvier  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • ECO (U.) — ECO UMBERTO (1932 ) Né à Alessandria, ville du nord de l’Italie, Umberto Eco fait ses études supérieures à Turin, où il soutient en 1954 une thèse de fin d’études sur l’esthétique chez saint Thomas d’Aquin. Il travaille d’abord comme assistant à… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Eco — (Umberto) (né en 1932) sémiologue et écrivain italien. Ses recherches portent sur la signification de l oeuvre d art: l OEuvre ouverte (1962). Romans: le Nom de la rose (1982), le Pendule de Foucault (1990), l île du jour d avant (1994) …   Encyclopédie Universelle

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”