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Article: The awakening of Umberto Eco
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- August 27, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1994 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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His hugely successful thriller, The Name of the Rose, made
Umberto Eco the most famous intellectual in the world. Yet little
is known about the early years of the man once dubbed the Pavarotti
of semiotics. In his new collection of essays, How to Travel with a
Salmon, he tracks football, pornography and philosophy along some
fanciful byways. But in this extract about Alessandria, his
northern hometown, Eco's aim is clear and pure. Here are some
scenes from the ordinary childhood of an extraordinary man
Po Valley Epiphanies
In describing a "flat" city like Alessandria, I believe the
monumental approach is mistaken; I prefer to proceed along more
subdued lines. I will tell about some ...