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Article: Umberto Eco is a rare thing: a high priest of semiotics who sells novels by the million. He also eats a lot.
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- October 6, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1995 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Odd name, Umberto Eco, almost too good to be true. Umberto
evokes, perhaps, Humbert Humbert, hero of Lolita. And Eco - well,
it's Italian for echo, an absurdly perfect name for a writer who
deals with the outer limits of memory and representation. But odd
or not, that is what he is called, Humbert Echo, Post-Modern
superstar, best-selling skypilot of the Zeitgeist.
Except that it is not his name. His paternal grandfather was a
foundling. In Italy such children are often left with the church
and given names to indicate their status - Esposito, exposed, is
quite common. For years Eco assumed his name was given by an
official with a slightly odd sense of humour.
Then he was contacted by a ...