"The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco

Textkit is a learning community- introduce yourself here. Use the Open Board to introduce yourself, chat about off-topic issues and get to know each other.
Post Reply
mariek
Global Moderator
Posts: 1387
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 11:19 pm
Location: California
Contact:

"The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco

Post by mariek »

A while back, somebody here (I want to say Carola) mentioned "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco ... so I eventually picked it up. It's a really good murder mystery, and I am having a difficult time putting the book down. It takes place in an Italian abbey in 1327, and the book has Latin scattered throughout the book. Very neat! The have this really cool library too!

Have any of you read this?

Have any of you read any other books by Umberto Eco? If so, which would you recommend next?

tadwelessar
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2003 4:51 pm
Location: Italy, Sardinia, Sassari

Post by tadwelessar »

I haven't read it yet but it's on my bookshelf, I can read it in his original language: Italian!

ingrid70
Textkit Enthusiast
Posts: 394
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2002 6:29 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Post by ingrid70 »

I've read the book, and I've seen the film, and it's one of those rare films that are still good if you've read the book (most just don't fit your expectations).

The only other book by Eco i've read is Foucault's Pendulum. I liked it a lot, but it's less gripping than The Name of the Rose. I loved wordplay like 'tetrapilectomy'': splitting a hair in four parts :).

Ingrid

Carola
Textkit Enthusiast
Posts: 609
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2002 12:34 am
Location: Adelaide, Australia

Post by Carola »

Hi Marie - yes, it's still one of my all time favourite books - combining lots of philosophical debates with a murder mystery. How could I resist? I am going to wait another 6 months before reading it again and then see if I can understand the Latin without having to rush to the dictionary every 2 minutes!

mingshey
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 1338
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2003 6:38 am
Location: Seoul
Contact:

Post by mingshey »

I've read it, too, the English version.

I've been reading Jorje like "George" throughout. I learned later it sounded like "Horhe."(It never came that the spelling looked like spanish!)

The two books share the similar philosophical(semiotical?) theme. Men discovering a pattern from sheer set of coincidences(or is it not?). That was a great mind shaker when I read those books.

mariek
Global Moderator
Posts: 1387
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 11:19 pm
Location: California
Contact:

Post by mariek »

tadwelessar wrote:I haven't read it yet but it's on my bookshelf, I can read it in his original language: Italian!

Lucky you! I always wonder whether a book is better in its original language. I always suspect that something is lost through translation. I would love to read this book in Italian, but I don't know very much Italian. :(

Another book which I would like to read in its original language is Perfume by Patrick Suskind. It is written in German. He writes such beautiful descriptions (or rather the English translation) ... I would like to experience it in German.

mariek
Global Moderator
Posts: 1387
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 11:19 pm
Location: California
Contact:

Post by mariek »

ingrid70 wrote:I've read the book, and I've seen the film, and it's one of those rare films that are still good if you've read the book (most just don't fit your expectations).

I know what you mean about movies based on books, they usually don't do the book any justice. I haven't seen the movie based on The Name of the Rose, and it looks like it is out of print. :( I'll keep my eyes out for it though...
The only other book by Eco i've read is Foucault's Pendulum. I liked it a lot, but it's less gripping than The Name of the Rose. I loved wordplay like 'tetrapilectomy'': splitting a hair in four parts :).


What a lovely word! I love learning new words. :D

I noticed that his latest book is Baudolino. That one looks interesting. I might pick that one up next.

mariek
Global Moderator
Posts: 1387
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 11:19 pm
Location: California
Contact:

Post by mariek »

Carola wrote:I am going to wait another 6 months before reading it again and then see if I can understand the Latin without having to rush to the dictionary every 2 minutes!

I noticed that he has an erudite vocabulary which comes through in the English translation. It's a good thing I know many of them! :D

I used to make markings in book margins with a pencil to mark lines where there was a word I wanted to look up later. Or I would write down the word and page number on an index card, look up the word later, and then return to the page to see how it was used in a book. This was a wonderful way to improve my vocabulary. I haven't done this in years though... got lazy...

mariek
Global Moderator
Posts: 1387
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 11:19 pm
Location: California
Contact:

Post by mariek »


While browsing on Amazon, I stumbled upon a book called "The Key to the Name of the Rose: Including Translation of All Non-English Passages". Has anyone seen this? Any thoughts?

mingshey
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 1338
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2003 6:38 am
Location: Seoul
Contact:

Post by mingshey »

Really? I also wish to see a "Key to the Foucault's Pendulum". :D

mariek
Global Moderator
Posts: 1387
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 11:19 pm
Location: California
Contact:

Post by mariek »

mingshey wrote:Really? I also wish to see a "Key to the Foucault's Pendulum". :D

I tried searching on Amazon and couldn't find one for Foucault's Pendulum.

Post Reply