Sommige onderwerpen die aan bod komen zijn zeer actueel. De boekbesprekingen zoals die over de boeken van Victor Hugo zijn dan weer tijdloos. ( )

CUPRINS

1. Introducere - pag. 5
2. Cum ne construim dusmanul - pag. 9
3. Absolut si Relativ - pag. 37
4. Flacara e frumoasa - pag. 67
5. In cautarea comorilor - pag. 97
6. Delicii fermentate - pag. 113
7. Embrionii afara din Paradis - pag. 127
8. Grupul 63, dupa patruzeci de ani - pag. 139
9. Hugo, helas ! Poetica excesului - pag. 173
10. Veline si tacere - pag. 213
11. Astronomii imaginare - pag. 223
12. Cate bordeie, atatea obiceie - pag. 259
13. Eu sunt Edmond Dantes - pag. 271
14. Ulise ne mai lipsea - pag. 291
15. De ce insula nu e niciodata gasita - pag. 301
16. Reflectii despre WikiLeaks - pag. 333 ( )

"Living by Proverbs" is by far the best of this lot. In the vein of Eco's penchant for discovering and philosophizing on lists, this essay at once summarizes an anonymous, rare pamphlet about a utopian community that attempted to live by proverbs and uses a list of the proverbs to delivery one of the cleverest essays I've ever read. As for the rest of the book, we mostly get a peek into the famous, vast home library of Italy's most renown scholar, which is more awe-inspiring and confounding (which, in one of the essays, is more Eco's point)thank enlightening or thought-provoking. ( )

But humanity has been unable to relinquish (even in part) its attachment to its own aromas, tastes, sounds, and tactile pleasures--and to relinquish producing fire through friction. Perhaps it should have left the production of fire to the gods, who would have given it to us only once in a while, in the form of a thunderbolt.

Lovely collection of late (2012) essays on a broad range of fascinating subjects. My favorites concerned Piero Camporesi, imaginary islands and navigation and the Fascist response to Ulysses.

I was unfamiliar with Camporesi but his work appears really interesting if ever so expensive. There are lovely asides to Carlo Ginzburg and Pope Benedict. There's also enough jabs at Berlusconi to ease us with the knowledge that the Trump administration wouldn't have surprised Eco in the least. ( )

A book of essays on topics ranging from literature to war. As with many essay books, this one is a mixed bag. Eco writes well, and his turns of phrase can be simply delightful, but some of his essays are, lets face it, of interest only to a limited audience - and not to the same limited audience for all the essays, which means most people are likely to find downsides. In addition, he has a bad habit of giving you several paragraphs of just lists. In addition, a couple of spots are flawed by his Italy-centric view, such as when he declares that no one is doing research on finding Atlantis. Then there are passages quoted in Latin or French untranslated; if this were written pre-WWII, this would be annoying but understandable. In a world where Latin is no longer required learning for all aspiring graduates, this is risky indeed. Overall, a decent book, but one that wore out its welcome too quickly - though the last essay was one of the est, so he was able to put on a surge and make it through the tape with some style. ( )