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Umberto Eco was born on this day in 1932

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ECO (EK-oh)

Umberto Eco – Italian novelist

Common clues: "Foucault's Pendulum" novelist; "The Name of the Rose" author; Author Umberto; Italian writer Umberto

Crossword puzzle frequency: 3 times a year

Frequency in English language: 19768 / 86800

News: Amidst globalisation, what do we read?

Video: Professor Umberto Eco at The London Book Fair


I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth. – Umberto Eco


Umberto Eco (born January 5, 1932) is an Italian medievalist, semiotician, philosopher and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa) and his many essays.




Eco was born in the city of Alessandria in the region of Piedmont. His father, Giulio, was an accountant before the government called upon him to serve in three wars. During World War II, Umberto and his mother, Giovanna, moved to a small village in the Piedmontese mountain side.


Eco has enjoyed a wide audience around the world, with good sales and many translations. His novels often include references to arcane historical figures and texts and his dense, intricate plots tend to take dizzying turns.


Eco employed his education as a medievalist in his novel The Name of the Rose, a historic mystery set in a 14th century monastary. English friar William of Baskerville, aided by his apprentice Adso, investigates a series of murders at a monastery that is set to host an important religious debate. Eco is particularly good at translating medieval religious controversies and heresies into modern political and economic terms so that the reader can appreciate their substance without being a theologian. The Name of the Rose was later made into a motion picture starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater.


Foucault's Pendulum, Eco's second novel, has also sold well. In Foucault's Pendulum, three under-employed editors who work for a minor publishing house decide to amuse themselves by inventing a conspiracy theory. Their conspiracy, which they call "The Plan", is about an immense and intricate plot to take over the world by a secret order descended from the Knights Templar. As the game goes on, the three slowly become obsessed with the details of this plan. The game turns dangerous when outsiders learn of The Plan, and believe that the men have really discovered the secret to regaining the lost treasure of the Templars.







This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Umberto Eco".  







ECO (578) 47 We- >1 06 Author Umberto

34 We >1 07 "Foucault's Pendulum" author

30 Tu- >1 08 "The Name of the Rose" author

23 We >1 04 Earth-friendly prefix

23 We+ >1 06 Prefix with system

19 We >1 06 Prefix with friendly

14 Tu+ >1 00 Green prefix

14 We+ >1 08 Prefix with tourism

13 Tu >1 05 Environmental prefix

12 Mo >1 01 Writer Umberto

10 Tu >1 04 System starter

9 We >1 04 "The Name of the Rose" writer

9 We- >1 08 Environmentalist's prefix

8 Th- >1 00 "The Island of the Day Before" author

8 We- >1 09 Novelist Umberto

8 Th+ >1 03 Prefix with sphere EXO UNI

7 We >1 07 "Green" prefix

7 Tu+ >1 09 System starter?

6 Th- >1 03 "Baudolino" author

6 We- >1 05 "Foucault's Pendulum" author Umberto

6 Th- NYT 09 Green: Prefix

6 Th- >1 08 Nature prefix

6 Fr- NYT 08 Prefix with -cide

5 Tu+ >1 06 "Foucault's Pendulum" writer

5 We >1 04 "The Name of the Rose" author Umberto

1 Th NYS 07 Pertaining to some workers