Umberto Eco

Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel The Name of the Rose, a historical mystery combining semiotics in fiction with biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory, as well as Foucault's Pendulum, his 1988 novel which touches on the history of occultism and its contemporary interpretation through the new age movement.

Eco wrote prolifically throughout his life, with his output including children's books, translations from French and English, in addition to a twice-monthly newspaper column "La Bustina di Minerva" (Minerva's Matchbook) in the magazine L'Espresso beginning in 1985, with his last column (a critical appraisal of the Romantic paintings of Francesco Hayez) appearing 27 January 2016. At the time of his death, he was an Emeritus professor at the University of Bologna, where he taught for much of his life. In the 21st century, he has continued to gain recognition for his 1995 essay "Ur-Fascism", where Eco lists fourteen general properties he believes comprise fascist ideologies.

Notable works: The Name of the Rose, Misreadings, Foucault's Pendulum, Apocalypse Postponed, How to Write a Thesis, On Ugliness Awards: Officer of the Legion of Honour, Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎, Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order, Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Honorary doctor of the Free University of Berlin, Honorary doctor of the University of Liège, honorary doctor of Tel Aviv University, honorary doctor of the University of Uppsala, honorary doctorate of the University of Glasgow, honorary doctor of the University of Athens Education: University of Turin

Source: Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umberto_Eco