M E N U   Home What is O'Casey's? What's On? This Month's Author Our Readers Photo Gallery Recordings Archives Get Involved!    U M B E R T O   E C O   "Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry." Italian novelist Umberto Eco is perhaps the smartest writer alive today - a brilliant philosopher, medievalist, semiotician and literary critic, and the president of the Scuola Superiore di Studi Umanistici (Higher School of Humanistic Studies) at the University of Bologna. Umberto Eco was born in Alessandria, Italy in 1932. According to the tales, his grandfather was a foundling left on the steps of an orphanage. A civic official gave the boy the name 'ex caelis oblatus' (a gift from heaven). The first letters of each word became the foundling's surname, which he passed down to his many children and eventually to Umberto. True or not, Umberto Eco carries with him this legacy of romance, magic, academia and the ancient world. During his childhood Eco was highly influenced by the conflicts of World War Two. He became an expert in the field of Semiotics before embarking on his career as a world renowned novelist. Eco's first book, The Name of the Rose, has been translated into many languages. Written in 1980, the novel still packs a intellectual punch today, having sold over nine million copies to date. The novel was later made into a film in 1986, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater. He followed this success with the modern Foucault's Pendulum, often described as "a thinking man's Da Vinci Code". Foucault's Pendulum is a journey through the world of secret societies, hidden codes, small publishers and the occult. Eco is a recognised global expert on all things to do with James Bond and has also written several children's books. One of Europe's most respected academics, Eco remains dedicated to academic life and has stated he will not write any more novels. His many academic articles and features are continuously printed. Eco represents a kind of European intellect that many fear is going out of fashion. Official website: http://www.umbertoeco.com/