# Umberto Eco



## Prometheus (Oct 12, 2003)

I recently bought _The Name of the Rose_ and read it in one breath, so to speak and I can't wait for _The Island of the Day Before_.  I find a lot of popular novels somewhat predictable so this book came as quite a relief.  No "let's all go pick flowers"  picture framed capitulation either.   

Have any of you read him?
Thoughts?


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## Kittie (Oct 12, 2003)

I've never read an entire work by him.  Just a few passages here and there.  He seems to write in such a way that forces me to read slowly.  Perhaps I'll try looking for his work again... :wink:


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## AdamR (Oct 13, 2003)

I've heard of that author, however, I've never read any of his work. Perhaps sometime soon I'll pick up a copy of one of his works.


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## Tertulian (Oct 13, 2003)

The Name of the Rose was made into a movie in the mid- or late eighties, starring Sean Connery and F. Murray Abraham. It would be classified as Historical Fiction. I enjoyed it when I first read it. It's been a while though.

Eco has many top quality books out there too. Foucault's Pendulum and Baudolino. He is also a Literary Critic. He's writen many non-fiction books like Travels in Hyperreality. All his work is worth reading...very intense.

Excellent choice Prometheus


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## veli (Nov 14, 2003)

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread, but that's OK with me! I love Eco, especially "In the Name of the Rose". He rights very deliberately, though I disagree with what someone said of the pace of reading. I had no trouble flying through it!


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## Fantasia (Jan 22, 2004)

Kittie said:
			
		

> I've never read an entire work by him.  Just a few passages here and there.  He seems to write in such a way that forces me to read slowly.  Perhaps I'll try looking for his work again... :wink:


X'D  It's got the Tolkien syndrome, that's for sure.

With that said, my friend swears by Umberto Eco.  He keeps gushing over it, but then I saw the block paragraphs and the ADD in me that I'm sure is there but hasn't been diagnosed kicked in.  Maybe I'll attempt to read it again some time in the future (before I die).


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## swisstony (Feb 28, 2004)

Eco's a hugely important writer if only because he exemplifies the importance of research to any novel set in the past.  From Foucault's Pendulum to Name of the Rose, he tackles quite enormous themes with panache.  I'm amazed that some writers here find the density offputting, when there is so much to be gained.  If you want offputtingly dense without the narrative grandeur, try Mervyn Peake


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