Inventing the Enemy

Author(s): Umberto Eco

Short Stories

"Inventing the Enemy" covers a wide range of topics on which Umberto Eco has written and lectured over the last ten years, from the discussion of ideas that have inspired his earlier novels - exploring lost islands, mythical realms, and the medieval world in the process - to a disquisition on the theme that runs through his most recent novel, "The Prague Cemetery", that every country needs an enemy, and if it doesn't have one, must invent it. Eco's lively new collection examines topics as diverse as St Thomas Aquinas' notions about the soul of an unborn child, indignant reviews of James Joyce's "Ulysses" by fascist journalists of the 1920s and 1930s, censorship, violence and Wikileaks. These are essays full of passion, curiosity, and obsessions by one of the world's most esteemed scholars and critically acclaimed, bestselling novelists.

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A collection of timely essays by the internationally acclaimed and bestselling author of The Name of the Rose and The Prague Cemetery

"Eco's writing has a unique ability to dance on the page and to resonate in the mind" Daily Telegraph "For the sheer depth and clarity of his learning and wisdom, Eco has no living rival" Harpers Baazar "Eco's greatest virtue might be said to lie in his ability to clarify the exact nature of our present perplexities...lucid, logical and always firmly on the side of civilisation" TLS "Thought provoking. nuanced, accessible prose. the collection amply shows off Eco's sophisticated, agile mind and will undoubtedly bring pleasure to readers familiar with his worlds while enriching those willing to learn about them" Publisher's Weekly "[A] philosophical football match that encompasses myth, literature and history... Discursive, grandiose, witty stuff from the quintessential savvy professor" Monocle

Umberto Eco has written works of fiction, literary criticism and philosophy. His first novel, The Name of the Rose, was a major international bestseller. His other works include Foucault's Pendulum, The Island of the Day Before, Baudolino, The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana and The Prague Cemetery, along with many brilliant collections of essays.

General Fields

  • : 9780099553946
  • : Vintage
  • : Vintage
  • : July 2013
  • : 198mm X 129mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : September 2013
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Umberto Eco
  • : Paperback
  • : 913
  • : 858.91409
  • : 272