Baudolino

Author Bio: Umberto Eco

Umberto Eco (1932–2016) was an Italian novelist, literary critic, philosopher, semiotician, and university professor. He is best known internationally for his novel The Name of the Rose, a historical mystery combining semiotics in fiction with biblical analysis, medieval studies, and literary theory. He later wrote other novels, including Foucault’s Pendulum, The Island of the Day Before, and The Prague Cemetery. He also wrote academic texts, children’s books, and essays. He was the founder of the department of media studies at the University of the Republic of San Marino, president of the graduate school for the study of the humanities at the University of Bologna, member of the Accademia dei Lincei, and an honorary fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford. He was A co-honoree of the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement in 2005.