Inventing The Enemy: Essays

Eco is always bright, erudite, polite, and interesting. This is a collection of various essays all beautifully written. Problem is out of the eight or so essays here, three are on topics relevant to our political and social times, while all the others are on various trivial or purely literary topics. Interesting to read perhaps for their own sake but not really the socially insightful material I was expecting. A good read for Eco fans though

I am feeling somewhat uneasy about finding Eco's 'lecturing' pretentious and a tad superficial. Yes, we know he is a famous and brilliant man. However, this book (I am still in the process of reading the last two essays, hence the title of the review) is like a fine cheese made from high-quality milk which, unfortunately, has been contaminated with excrement. Let me explain what I mean. The reasoning and the logic of the book approach broad and problematic subjects. Eco makes strong points and then tries to defend those through specific examples that lead to unconvincing, over-generalized conclusions. Moreover, all this is done with a somewhat Italian attitude of "lo so Tutto!". Eco wants to be more than a best-selling writer. A modern Kenneth Clark? He cannot. (Clark's out of print book 'Moments of Vision' is a landmark of what a truly great essay/lecture is). In fact, everything goes fine for Eco until he starts digging (and this is happening all the time) into history and philosophy with the aim of making all-encompassing moral conclusions related to the main idea(s) of his essays. So this is where a spectacular failure happens. Don't mess with ethics; they do not go well with a massive ego, drenched in politics. Hence, the cheese--albeit expensive-is rotten.

Great essays by one the smartest guys ever. Readable and very entertaining. Subjects range from ancient astronomies, censorship, fascism, and Victor Hugo, to stinky stinky cheese(s).

Difficult to review because it covers such a wide range of subjects, this compendium of "occasional writings," essays and lectures is nonetheless interesting and - as usual with Umberto Eco - well written and learned, covering a discussion of the essential points on matters of interest to the author. After only one reading, I have already memorized my list of favorites to which I will no doubt return again and again in the future. This is the beauty of a book such as this - occasional writings that are perfect for occasional reading. Therefore, Inventing The Enemy will make a comfortable traveler's companion, or be a stand-out read in a waiting-room, or the way to enjoy a relaxing moment at the coffee table, and, above all, it will be a friend at your beside table, well into the night. A joy to read and contemplate.

As allways, Umberto Eco shows deep knowlegde of history and filology to write a good collection of essays based on a series of lectures. As a transcription of those levtures sometimes the reading gets too repetitive but nothing that shall bore the reader. If you like a skeptik thinking way of view and can understand the true message behind the "prage Cemitery" author this is a worthwhile book.

I find most of the essays fascinating. But the quality varies from one essay to the next, so some of them are less compelling to read. Eco is a deep thinker and shares his opinions and thinking process in many beautifully written essays.

Good

I enjoyed it because you can see ideas that are later expanded in the novel for instance, The Name of the Rose, examined.