Art dhe Kulturë

Umberto Eco Library, a treasure trove of 30,000 titles! Who will inherit it?

Umberto Eco Library, a treasure trove of 30,000 titles! Who will inherit it?

The personal library of Italian writer and opinionist Umberto Eco counts more than 30,000 unique titles, some of which are rare and original publications worth thousands of euros individually. This collection of course could not be left alone in the administration of family members, so the Italian Ministry of Culture has negotiated with the heirs of Eco to take over the maintenance of his library in exchange for adequate compensation.

According to the author's will, part of the books will be sent to the archives of the University of Bologna, where Eco has been a lecturer for many years, while the books of classical literature have been entrusted to the National Library of Brera in Milan.

The author of philosophical books, but also of "bestselling" novels such as "The Name of the Rose", "Foucault's Pendulum", etc., was an avid collector and among his books are counted rare titles and publications such as "Hypnerotomachia Poliphili", production original of 1499, considered one of the most original novels in the history of world literature; a copy of the "Offenbarung göttlicher Majestät" of 1619, as well as some Venetian tales written anonymously in their first edition. All the above works will be archived in Milan for preservation by professionals.

Eco's legacy for humanity is therefore more than just his work, but also books that were considered "lost" because they were in the possession of private collectors, have now been returned to the public.

Tiranapost.al