On the Shoulders of Giants

On the Shoulders of Giants is a collection of essays based on lectures Eco famously delivered at the Milanesiana Festival in Milan over the last fifteen years of his life. Previously unpublished, the essays explore themes he returned to again and again in his writing: the roots of Western culture and the origin of language, the nature of beauty and ugliness, the potency of conspiracies, the lure of mysteries, and the imperfections of art. Eco examines the dynamics of creativity and considers how every act of innovation occurs in conversation with a superior ancestor.

In these playful, witty, and breathtakingly erudite essays, we encounter an intellectual who reads comic strips, reflects on Heraclitus, Dante, and Rimbaud, listens to Carla Bruni, and watches Casablanca while thinking about Proust. On the Shoulders of Giants reveals both the humor and the colossal knowledge of a contemporary giant.

On the Shoulders of Giants este o colectie de eseuri bazate pe prelegeri Eco sustinute la Festivalul Milanesiana din Milano in ultimii cincisprezece ani din viata sa. Inedite anterior, eseurile exploreaza temele la care s-a intors din nou si din nou in scrierea sa: radacinile culturii occidentale si originea limbajului, natura frumusetii si uratului, potenta conspiratiilor, atractia misterelor si imperfectiunile artei .