Inventing the Enemy: Essays

by Umberto Eco

Inventing the Enemy covers a wide range of topics on which Umberto Eco has written and lectured for the past ten years, from a disquisition on the theme that runs through his most recent novel, The Prague Cemetery—every country needs an enemy, and if it doesn’t have one, must invent it—to a discussion of ideas that have inspired his earlier novels. Along the way, he takes us on an exploration of lost islands, mythical realms, and the medieval world. Eco also sheds light on the indignant reviews of James Joyce’s Ulysses by fascist journalists of the 1920s and 1930s, and provides a lively examination of Saint Thomas Aquinas’s notions about the soul of an unborn child, censorship, violence, and WikiLeaks. These are essays full of passion, curiosity, and obsessions by one of the world’s most esteemed scholars and critically acclaimed, best-selling novelists.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Philosophy, Politics, History, Italian Literature, Sociology

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Umberto Eco 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 similar themes.

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.

Reviews

[Valeriu Gherghel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Citesc mai repede eseurile lui Umberto Eco decît unele dintre romanele lui și asta pentru că sînt mereu amuzante, instructive și pline de o erudiție destinsă. Nimic încrîncenat în aceste „scrieri ocazionale”, cum le prezintă autorul. Aș observa, totuși, că orice scriere e mai mult sau mai puțin ocazională, fiindcă totul începe cu o ocazie și anume așezarea autorului la masa de scris, întîlnirea pixului cu hîrtia. Asta e ocazia fundamentală, restul e istorie. Și Goethe scria poezii ocazionale...

Singurul lucru care ține, la propriu, de „ocazional” în cele 15 eseuri din volumul de față e diversitatea lor tematică. Umberto Eco vorbește cu egală plăcere despre modul în care se formează „fantasma” dușmanului (și despre utilitatea lui), despre patima relicvelor în Evul Mediu (prezentată cu o înșelătoare pedanterie), despre excesul enumerărilor la Victor Hugo (Eco însuși a practicat excesul în Baudolino, de pildă, cînd descrie amănunțit rîul de piatră Sambation), despre insulele care odată vizitate nu mai pot fi găsite (Insula Fericiților, să spunem, sau insula lui Iuda, zărită de abatele Brendan și însoțitorii săi „mistici”) etc. Am găsit și două recenzii aproape imaginare. Prima se referă la o insulă utopică, în care societatea e guvernată după înțelepciunea proverbelor, a doua la romanul Ulysses în viziunea criticilor italieni din interbelic, cu înclinații fasciste și antisemite. Ei au denunțat proza lui Joyce drept „o monstruozitate haotică”, care ar ilustra „o artă perimată” și ar perpetua „prostul gust”...

Portretul imaginar și stereotip al dușmanului e o colecție de epitete negative și insultătoare. De la Cicero încoace, dușmanul e depravat, hidos, vorbește stricat (e barbar), e vicios, schilod, urît mirositor, malefic, îl slujește pe Satana etc. În Evul Mediu, dușmanii tradiționali au fost leprosul, evreul, sarazinul, ereticul, vrăjitoarea (femeia) etc. Un dușman care a bîntuit mințile omului medieval a fost, desigur, Attila (alături de Antichrist). Citez descrierea lui Rodulfus = Raoul Glaber cel Pleșuv (985–1047), numit de istorici „cronicarul anului 1000”:

Attila era „pricăjit, cu gîtul subţire, chipul scofîlcit, ochii foarte negri, fruntea încreţită de riduri, nasul turtit, gura teşită în afară, buzele umflate, bărbia îngustă şi ascuţită, barbă de ţap, urechi ciulite şi ascuţite la vîrf, păr ţepos şi ciufulit, dinţi de cîine, ţeastă alungită, piept bombat, spinare cu cocoaşă”.

Surprinzător, femeile dușmanilor sînt mai alerte și mai frumoase decît femeile noastre. Dar asta Umberto Eco n-o mai spune...

[Jonfaith · Rating 5 out of 5]

But humanity has been unable to relinquish (even in part) its attachment to its own aromas, tastes, sounds, and tactile pleasures--and to relinquish producing fire through friction. Perhaps it should have left the production of fire to the gods, who would have given it to us only once in a while, in the form of a thunderbolt.

Lovely collection of late (2012) essays on a broad range of fascinating subjects. My favorites concerned Piero Camporesi, imaginary islands and navigation and the Fascist response to Ulysses.

I was unfamiliar with Camporesi but his work appears really interesting if ever so expensive. There are lovely asides to Carlo Ginzburg and Pope Benedict. There's also enough jabs at Berlusconi to ease us with the knowledge that the Trump administration wouldn't have surprised Eco in the least.

[Leonard Gaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Construire l’ennemi est une compilation d’articles et de conférences. Umberto Eco y aborde divers sujets avec son érudition et son foisonnement habituels : l’image de l’étranger ou de l’ennemi, les notions d’absolu et de relatif, la poétique du feu, la gastronomie fromagère, la doctrine chrétienne concernant les mort-nés, le style de Victor Hugo, les cartes imaginaires de la Terre et du Ciel, l’artifice narratif de la reconnaissance, la réception critique de James Joyce en Italie, le topos des îles mystérieuses, le rôle du renseignement à l’ère d’Internet.

Bref, c’est l'équivalent littéraire d'une boîte de chocolats : friandises peu substantielles mais dont on ne peut cesser de goûter les différentes saveurs !

[Philippe Malzieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all the Eco Books. This one is special. It's not a novel. He has been published in France yesterday. I don't find english version. This book makes me think of "My unwritten books" of Georgs Steiner. I find that Steiner and Eco resemble themselves. Same encyclopaedic knowledge, same sense of humour, two monuments.
Eco inspires him from the reflection of a Pakistani taxi driver who does not understand why a country does not have any enemy. Eco notices that country currently needs to create scapegoats to diablolize in order to reinforce national identity. It is tipically a René Girard's problématic.
From this point, Eco is devoted to virtuoso disgression. Everyone is there; Descartes, Isidore de Séville... I advise you the chapter "Hugo unfornutately" it is what Gide said when we asked him for the name of the greatest poet. But the chapter on "Imaginary astronomy" is fabulous.
When I read Eco (and Steiner) I feel clever. And I have a dream, I dream to organise a dinner with Steiner and Eco. First plate will be oyster with a Meusault-Charmes 2005. After I will be used a duck for turnips. Receipt of Robuchon. You take turnips early products expenses of the garden, you dissolve them in butter with Sauterne. The bitterness acidulous of turnip with the force of the meat of the duck is splendid. With a Chateau Angelus 2000. I invite also Jim Harrison who like Meursault.

[Federica Rampi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dai testi antichi a quelli più recenti, Umberto Eco esplora la nozione di nemico che noi, collettivamente e individualmente, consideriamo tale sia in senso storico, ma anche i nemici culturali, reali, percepiti o inventati.
I nemici sono necessari per l'identità: ci riconosciamo perché l’Altro esiste, ma ci diventa intollerabile quando nell’Altro non non ci rispecchiamo più e così creiamo il nostro inferno.
Quella che dovrebbe essere una pacifica convivenza tra diversità ,diventa campo di battaglia dove tutto è terreno di scontro: sacro contro profano, morale contro immorale, bello contro brutto.
Il nemico nasce dalle nostre paure, insicurezze, intolleranze
Il nemico è brutto perché non è uguale a noi.
Il diverso è minaccioso, pericoloso perché differente nei modi, nello stile di vita, nell’aspetto,nella lingua, nel colore della pelle, nel credo religioso.

Il nemico può essere chiunque, persino la donna è diventata tema di scontro culturale e non solo: dalla figua angelicata della letteratura alla costruzione della strega cominciata con la satira e poi sfociata nella persecuzione.
Il nemico è il disgregatore dell'ordine sociale e la sua costruzione è un principio fondato e quanto mai attuale, se solo pensiamo alla forza che hanno i social network in questo pericoloso e vizioso processo.
Ma questo Umberto Eco, nella sua lungimirante lucidità, lo sapeva già...

[Oto Bakradze · Rating 4 out of 5]

წარმოდგენაც არ მინდა რამდენი წიგნი, სამეცნიერო ნაშრომი თუ სტატია უნდა წაიკითხო, რომ ეკოს ცოდნას მიუახლოვდე.
მარტო ამ ესსეებში ასობით ისეთი წიგნია დასახელებული, არც დაისერჩება ალბათ. ყველაზე ინტელექტუალი მწერალია, ვისაც უარსებია იმჰო. თუმცა მე მისი მხატვრული ლიტერატურა არ მომწონს. არ უხდება ფიქციას ეს over-ცოდნა. ესსეები სუპერ👌

ამ კრებულიდან ფავორიტებია:
-მტრის ხატის შექმნა
-აბსოლუტი და ფარდობითობა
-ემბრიონები სასუფეველს მიღმა
-ულისეღა გვაკლდა

“მტრის ყოლა მნიშვნელოვანია არა მხოლოდ იმისთვის, რომ განვსაზღვროთ ჩვენი მეობა, არამედ იმისთვისაც, რომ შევქმნათ დაბრკოლება, რომლის პირისპირ საკუთარ ფასეულობათა სისტემასაც გამოვცდით და ჩვენს საკუთარ ღირებულებასაც წარმოვაჩენთ.ამიტომ, თუ მტერი არ არსებობს, ის უნდა შევქმნათ.”

[Mohaaaamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب‌هایی که با کمترین تعداد صفحات حرف‌های زیادی می‌زنند و از هر دری دادِ سخن می‌دهند، برایم دوست‌داشتنی و ارزشمندند.
این کتاب در برگیرنده‌ی دو سخنرانی از اومبرتو اکو است که در یکی از وجودِ دشمن، ابداعِ دشمن و فوایدِ آن می‌گوید و در دیگری از فاشیسم.

در سخنرانیِ اول، یعنی ابداعِ دشمن، اذعان می‌کند که:
"یکی از بدبختی‌های ایتالیا در شصت سال گذشته این بوده که دشمنان واقعی نداشته است."
"دشمن داشتن نه تنها برای هویت‌یابی ما اهمیت دارد بلکه از این نظر هم مهم است که مانعی درست می‌کند تا بتوانیم نظام ارزشی‌مان را با آن بسنجیم و در راه غلبه بر آن ارزش خود را نشان بدهیم."
"به‌نظر می‌رسد که بدون دشمن نمی‌توان کاری از پیش برد. چهره دشمن را نمیتوان از روند تمدن زدود. نیاز طبیعت ثانوی انسان حتا انسان‌های خوش‌خلق و آرام است. در این موارد تصویر دشمن صرفاً از ابژه‌ای انسانی به نیرویی طبیعی یا اجتماعی تغییر می‌کند که به نحوی تهدیدمان می‌کند و باید بر آن فائق آمد؛ خواه بهره‌کشی سرمایه‌داری باشد، خواه آلودگی زیست‌محیطی، و خواه گرسنگی در جهان سوم. گرچه این‌ها همگی "فضیلت" اند، اما چنان که برشت خاطرنشان می‌کند حتا نفرت از بی‌عدالتی هم چهره را عبوس می‌کند."
"فقط جنگ ضامن تعادل بین طبقات است و امکانِ یافتن و بهره برداری از عناصر ضد اجتماعی را فراهم می‌کند. صلح عامل بی‌ثباتی و بزهکاری در میان جوانان است. جنگ تمام نیروهای ویران‌گر را به بهترین شیوه‌ی ممکن هدایت می‌کند و به آنها منزلت می‌بخشد."

او همچنین از نوعی ابداعِ دشمنِ دیگر می‌گوید که برآمده از خصومتِ جنسی یا همان تبعیضِ جنسی است:
"نزد مردی که سلطه دارد و می‌نویسد یا از طریق نوشتن سلطه پیدا می‌کند، زنان از دیرباز همواره با ضدیت تصویر شده‌اند. گول توصیف‌هایی که از زنان در مقام موجوداتی فرشته‌خو می‌شود را نخوریم. برعکس، دقیقاً به این دلیل که ادبیات والا را موجوداتی شیرین و باوقار در سلطه خود دارند، دنیای طنز - که دنیای تخیلی عامه مردم است - زنان را از دوره باستان و قرون وسطا تا دوره مدرن پیوسته به صورت موجودی شیطانی و خبیث نشان داده است."

در سخنرانی دومِ این کتاب، یعنی فاشیسمِ ابدی، درباره‌ی نهضت مقاومت چنین می‌گوید:
"بعضی از ایتالیایی‌ها الآن می‌گویند که افسانه‌ی "مقاومت" دروغ کمونیست‌هاست. درست است که کمونیست‌ها، چون نقش اصلی را در "مقاومت" داشتند، طوری از آن بهره‌برداری کردند که انگار "مقاومت" ملک طلق آن‌هاست، اما پارتیزان‌هایی را به یاد می‌آورم که سربندهایی با رنگ‌های متفاوت داشتند.
بعد به فاشیسم می‌پردازد:
"فاشیسم قطعاً دیکتاتوری بود، اما کاملاً تمامیت‌خواه نبود - نه به این دلیل که معتدل بود، بلکه به این دلیل که ایدئولوژی‌اش ضعف فلسفی داشت. برخلاف تصور رایج، فاشیسم ایتالیایی فلسفه‌ای خاص خود نداشت."
"فاشیسم شکل مبهمی از تمامیت‌خواهی بود. ایدئولوژی‌ای یکپارچه نبود، بلکه مجموعه‌ای از ایده‌های سیاسی و فلسفی گوناگون، و کلاف سردرگمی از تناقض‌ها بود."

"با این که نگران جنبش‌های مختلف هوادار نازیسم هستم که اینجا و آنجا در اروپا، از جمله در روسیه، فعال‌اند، اما گمان نمی‌کنم که نازیسم، در شکل اولیه‌اش، دوباره به صورت جنبشی که کل یک ملت را در برگیرد، ظاهر شود."

کتابِ مهم و مفیدی بود.
اصطلاحات و مفاهیمِ قابل‌توجهی بود که اطلاعی از آن‌ها نداشتم و این خوانش بهانه‌ای شد تا با آن‌ها آشنا شوم.

[Evripidis Gousiaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Μοναδικός!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read Umberto Eco’s Prague cemetery. A brilliant book but with a protagonist so vicious, and expressing such shocking views, that it left me slightly uneasy, and in need to find out more about the man behind the words. What could be better for that purpose, than a collection of lectures, essays, and articles by the author.

”Inventing the enemy” is a collection of disassociated texts without a common subject but each by itself a little work of art. It is Eco the philosopher that is behind most of the texts and I can not describe what a sublime pleasure it was to read imagining sitting in the audience and listening to him speak. His knowledge, erudition, wisdom and subtle sense of humor leave me absolutely breathless. And then, on top of everything, there is this quote from the introduction:

”The title of this collection ought have been the subtitle, ”Occasional Writings”. It was my publisher’s proper concern — that such pompously modest title might not attract the readers attention, whereas the title of the first essay may arouse curiosity — that determined the final choice.”

Well, it did arouse my curiosity, but then again it would have too if it was called ”no title”, as long as the authors name was there. But if I didn’t love and admire Umberto Eco before, this little disagreement with the publisher would probably be the moment I would have fallen in love with him for good.

Please, let me recommend it to all of you that enjoy Eco’s writing, it is a real gem.

[Padmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un vecchio articolo di Umberto Eco che lessi su "Golem-L'indispensabile", bella rivista online che purtroppo ha cessato le pubblicazioni. Lo ha ripubblicato La nave di Teseo.
Si tratta del testo integrale dell'intervento tenuto da Eco, il 15 maggio 2008, all'Università di Bologna, nell'ambito del ciclo di conferenze intitolato "Elogio della Politica".

"Una delle disgrazie del nostro paese, negli ultimi sessant'anni, è stata proprio di non avere avuto veri nemici. Avere un nemico è importante non solo per definire la nostra identità ma anche per procurarci un ostacolo rispetto al quale misurare il nostro sistema di valori e mostrare, nell'affrontarlo, il valore nostro. Pertanto, quando il nemico non ci sia, occorre costruirlo." La situazione mondiale del nostro tempo, segnata dall'aumento di forme di razzismo e da una feroce contrapposizione politica, rivela quanto sia opportuno, e inevitabile, conoscere i meccanismi che portano gli uomini a individuare sempre nuovi avversari. Umberto Eco, in questo intervento civile di straordinaria attualità, riflette sul nostro bisogno di avere, sempre e comunque, un nemico da attaccare: dalle invettive degli oratori antichi al culto medievale per l'integritas, una brillante divagazione letteraria che attraversa l'Iliade e i romanzi di James Bond, la caccia alle streghe, la propaganda bellica del passato e i populismi del presente.

[Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has several thought provoking talks, including "Inventing the Enemy."


"Having an enemy is important not only to define our identity but also to provide us with an obstacle against which to measure our system of values and, in seeking to overcome it, to demonstrate our own worth. So when there is no enemy, we have to invent one."
From "Inventing the Enemy"

[Ned Rifle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly entertaining, but left with an overwhelming wish to just have him let me at his library rather than listen to him.

[Arshak Arshakyan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Սկզբից շատ ձանձրալի էր առաջ գնում, հետո հետաքրքրացավ, վերջին մասն էլ հաջողված էր:

Ինքը ցնդած ա, հաճելի ցնդած, բայց էս էսսեներով ինձ յուրահատուկ չթվաց:

Մեկ աստղը էդ հետաքրքիր մասերի համար, իսկ մյուս մի աստղը իր գրագիտության համար:

[Valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Desde el principio se construyen como enemigos no tanto a los que son diferentes y que nos amenazan directamente, sino a aquellos que alguien tiene interés en representar como amenazadores aunque no nos amenacen directamente, de modo que lo que ponga de relieve su diversidad no sea su carácter de amenaza, sino que sea su diversidad misma la que se convierta en señal de amenaza."

[Loreley · Rating 4 out of 5]

ყველაზე მეტად მომეწონა:

- მტრის ხატის შექმნა
- ემბრიონები სასუფეველს მიღმა
- ჰიუგო, hélas! სიჭარბის პოეტიკა
- "ველინები" და დუმილი
- წარმოსახვითი ასტრონომია
- რატომ ვერ პოულობენ კუნძულს

[Mariasilvia Santi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Per tenere un popolo a freno, di nemici bisogna sempre inventarne. Che siano gl'inesistenti comunisti di Berlusconi o i migranti ingannati a Ceuta.
Di fronte a quest'assioma, Eco porta esempi della letteratura di ogni tempo: dalle Catilinarie di Cicerone ai dispacci americani su Bin Laden.

L'antologia, poi, si muove verso altri saggi. Eco blasta Hugo, trascrive le fascistissime recensioni dell'appena tradotto "Ulysses" di Joyce con effetti dissacranti, commenta Wikileaks, spiega la semiotica di "Striscia la notizia", o racconta l'avanguardia e le alterne fortune del Gruppo 63.

Il minimo comune denominatore di tutto: la lucidità lungimirante di uno studioso che fino all'ultimo si è confrontato con il reale offrendone chiavi di lettura per tutti, senza (per fortuna!) mai chiudersi nella propria turris eburnea.

[Alessandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

In questo libretto edito da La nave di Teseo su concessione degli eredi della famiglia Eco, estratto della conferenza tenuta all’Università di Bologna nel 2008, Umberto Eco, compianto filosofo e semiologo scomparso da poco, affronta il tema del nemico come inevitabile necessità dell’essere umano.

Una delle interessanti sottolineature di Eco sta nel fatto che nei governi totalitari (Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin…) prima si tendeva a costruire l’immagine del nemico e poi si persuadeva la vittima a riconoscersi (pag45).

Un libro da leggere e su cui riflettere, soprattutto in epoca come la nostra che vede l’immigrato come nemico ideale.

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed these fanciful essays - the whimsy and wit of Eco at his best.

"The grotesque is the other face of the sublime, as shadow is to light. Grotesqueness is the richest resource nature can offer art. The universal beauty that antiquity solemnly gave to everything was not without its monotony, and this impression can produce tedium through repetition. Beauty is only of one kind; there are a thousand kinds of ugliness. It is difficult to compare one sublime with another, and we need to take a rest from everything, even from beauty" (p.100).

[Anto M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Avere un nemico è importante non solo per definire la nostra identità, ma anche per fornirci un ostacolo con cui misurare il nostro sistema di valori e, nel tentativo di superarlo, dimostrare il nostro valore. Quindi, quando non c'è un nemico, dobbiamo inventarne uno."

Conoscenza, erudizione, saggezza e un sottile senso dell'umorismo sono tutti racchiusi in questo saggio che fa molto riflettere.
Eco trae ispirazione dalla sua conversazione con un tassista per esprimere il suo pensiero in merito ai "nemici" di uno stato. Un paese ha bisogno di creare capri espiatori da demonizzare per rafforzare l'identità nazionale e, se non li ha, li costruisce ad arte. Chiarificatori i riferimenti al passato.

[Caterina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eco’nun çeşitli dönemlerde kaleme aldığı makalelerden oluşan deneme türünde bir kitap. Başlarken beni zorlayacağını biliyordum. Beklediğim gibi oldu, bazı makaleleri anlayabilmek adına sık sık araştırma yapma ihtiyacı hissettim. Kitabın hakkını ne derece verdin diye sorarsanız, çok eksiğim var diyebilirim. Ama şu hali ile bile bana kattıkları çok değerli diye düşünüyorum. Kendime notum 2 :)

İlerleyen yıllarda yeniden elime alıp notlarımı değerlendirmek adına şimdilik incelememe bir virgül koyuyor eseri meraklısına tavsiye ediyorum.

[Mehdi Jemaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

illuminant, vifs, drôle parfois et animés par un savoir transcendant,
voila comment sont les phrases par lesquels sont tissés les pages de ce petit bouquin

[nemesssis · Rating 4 out of 5]

მტრის ხატის შექმნა

ემბრიონები სასუფეველს მიღმა და

ალი მშვენიერია


საუკეთესოო

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

دو تا سخنرانی بسیار کوتاه بودند، اولی یک روایت تاریخی از ابداع دشمن بود و دومی توصیف فاشیسم ابدی (urfacism) برای دانشجوهای آمریکایی که با یک لیست ۱۲ ۱۳تایی از ویژگی‌های فاشیسم ابدی تمامش کرد. کتاب کمکی بهم نکرد که بفهمم ایران فاشیستی هست/ می‌شود یا مسیر دیگری را طی می‌کنیم اما قطعا مفید بود.

[Clay Kallam · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of essays without a theme is like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates -- and in this case, Umberto Eco's offerings were simply too European for this American's taste.

And by "European," I don't mean to imply superiority, overt or otherwise, or inferiority. The issue is that Eco constantly refers to books and writers and concepts that are European in origin and in use, and which are often simply opaque to American readers.

"I am Edmund Dantes" might be the worst offender overall, but almost every essay has a reference that will evade almost all American readers, and though it's not a bad thing to remind us of our provincialism, it does rob Eco's arguments of much of their punch.

And Eco is arguing, for the most part. He takes an old-fashioned intellectual's delight in taking on foes, and is far from politically correct (his rant against Jewish "domination" in "Ulysses: That's All We Needed" would not pass muster here).

Even at his most obscure, however, Eco is a formidable thinker, and "Thoughts on Wikileaks" is just one of several essays that cut right to the bone -- and in highly original ways.

All in all, though, I can't recommend this too highly because too much of the force of the articles is lost on readers who aren't familiar with Italian popular fiction and Eco's willingness to tackle almost any topic on demand. The good here is quite good, but there's just not quite enough of it.

[Louai Al Roumani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another mind-boggling and intellectually stimulating masterpiece by Umberto Eco. Eco's works can appear overwhelming, due to his sheer erudition and multi-layered philosopical analysis and referencing. Yet this book with 14 short essays, each tackling an otherwise mundane subject, manages to uplift one's interest in all of them with Eco's brilliant anthropological analysis. His sense of humour is subtle, and with such wisdom emanating from his writing, you would not wish for it to be anymore exciting. Amongst the many topics in this book, he addresses the inherent need for all of us to invent an enemy to reach a clarified definition of who we are. He then moves to talk about cheese and its evolution from being the most decadent byproduct of milk to its finest. He addresses the notion of noise as opposed to effective information in his chapters on wikileaks and censorship. A highly entertaining essay imagines a republic where actions are taken based solely on conventional proverbs, and he narrates beautifully how affairs turn out to be. Another brilliant piece is his talk about imaginary islands and why they are never found, as he spirals his way through with a fascinating mix of mythology, philosophy, geography and outright science. This is Eco at his finest, and I enjoyed it much more than his novels as he expresses himself in shorter and more focused confines, leading to an ingenious breadth and depth in all his essays. An amazing book by an anthropological giant.

[Mariam Keshealshvili · Rating 4 out of 5]

ინტელექტუალური მოზაიკა - ალბათ შესანიშნავი მოკლე მიმოხილვაა ამ წიგნის!

მრავალფეროვანი, მაგრამ თემატურად დაკავშირებულ ნარკვევები. ეკოს ისტორიულ მაგალითებიდან დღეს შემაშფოთებელ პარალელებს გაავლებთ დღევანდელ თანამედროვე დისკურსთან.

ბრწყინვალე შეხედულებებისა და პროვოკაციების საგანძურია ეს წიგნი!

[Arda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant. Umberto Eco is a force to be reckoned with!

[Marleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

According to the introduction this book was originally going to be titled “Occasional Writings”. Which leads us to the question what “occasional writings” actually are. To quote the author:

“They are generally on topics about which the author had no specific interest. He was, instead, encouraged to write each one after being invited to contribute to a series of discussions or essays on a particular theme. It captured the author’s interest and encouraged him to reflect on something he might otherwise have ignored (…).”

As for the reason why the publisher decided to use the title of the first essay for this book instead of the author’s original idea, well those reasons should be obvious. “Inventing the Enemy” sounds a lot more intriguing than “Occasional Writings” ever could.

What we have here is a collection of 14 essays. The problem, when reviewing a collection of essays, is that there are always going to be pieces on subjects the reviewer knows little or nothing about and/or has no real interest in. That problem gets even bigger when the essays are written by a brilliant mind like Eco’s. While I can honestly say that every single word in this book was fascinating to me, I also have to be honest enough to admit that quite a few of those words went straight over my head.

I have been in awe of Umberto Eco ever since I read “The Name of the Rose” and “Foucault’s Pendulum”, years ago. Here we have a man with what appears to be endless knowledge about numerous subjects. A thinker able to share his thoughts, both serious and absurd, in a way that intrigues his audience, even if the audience is not always capable of following his reasoning or establishing the accuracy of his ideas and assertions.

This book contains essays on a wide variety of subjects varying from light-hearted to serious, from historical to contemporary and from philosophical to factual. Below I will share thoughts on and quotes from some of these essays. That selection is however rather arbitrary since it is very personal and limited to those pieces that struck a cord with me.



Inventing the Enemy

“Having an enemy is important not only to define our identity but also to provide us with an obstacle against which to measure our system of values and, in seeking to overcome it, to demonstrate our own worth.”

Examples ranging from Cicero to Ian Fleming, illustrate how the enemy has always been described using similar, if not identical, characteristics, regardless of who the portrayed enemy is. It seems that we cannot manage without an enemy and will create one when we find ourselves without an opponent.

Absolute and Relative

And the question whether or not there is such a thing as an absolute or relative truth.

Treasure Hunting

“The cult of the relic is to be found in every religion and culture.

Not so much philosophical as a listing of where to find which relics, which immediately makes the reader realise that certain relics can be found in more places than should logically be possible. But, of course:

“It is not the relic that makes faith, but faith that makes the relic.”


Censorship and Silence

Two forms of censorship: censorship through silence and censorship through noise.

“To avoid causing behaviour considered to be deviant, don’t talk about it, (…) To avoid talking about deviant behaviour, talk a great deal about other things.”

“Nothing is more difficult to dispose of than an irrelevant but true story.”

“In losing the condition of silence, we lost the possibility of hearing what other people are saying, which is the only basic and reliable means of communication.”

Imaginary Astronomies

From the way we saw the world and the skies in the past to the emergence of science fiction. Including the fascinating question whether, if science fiction is influenced by science, the opposite is also true?

Living by Proverbs

The idea is fascinating; creating a society in which people live their lives based on the wisdom contained in proverbs as the way to happiness. That this is of course doomed to fail is obvious, but it makes for a very interesting idea.

Ulysses: That’s All We Need

A denouement of Joyce’s Ulysses that I can’t help feeling shouldn’t be taken seriously, although I’m completely lost as to what the purpose of this essay might be if that assumption is right.

Thoughts on WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks is of course, a false scandal since everybody knew, although nobody acknowledged, that embassies had turned from representatives of their countries into information gathering operations. Furthermore, the information sent to America was not actually secret.

While modern technology makes the Big Brother scenario all too realistic – it is next to impossible to go through life unobserved – WikiLeaks has shown that this is actually a two-way street. Those in power may be able to observe us, but we, at least those of us proficient at computer hacking – can discover the secrets of that Power.


Like most, if not all, collections of essays this is a book that is best read in bits and pieces. Reading this book from cover to cover would in all likelihood be quite exhausting. Moreover, the essays in this book are all of a rather high intellectual quality and require the reader to think along with the author, which is really only possible if they give themselves the time to absorb the information provided and the luxury of pondering it at their leisure.

What intrigued me most about this book is that while some of these essays appear to deal with subjects we completely take for granted and rarely give a second thought, Umberto Eco reflects on them from angles I had never considered and would never have considered if I hadn’t read about them here.

Overall this book provided me with a fascinating, thought-provoking and at times eye-opening reading experience. While I can’t say that every essay grabbed me to the same extent I can honestly state that they all interested me, even when – or maybe especially when – I wasn’t quite sure exactly what it was I was reading.

[Alexis Benitez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leyendo 《Borges, Oral》, al fin encontré la pieza que completa a esta reseña.

《En todo Oriente existe aún el concepto de que un libro no debe revelar las cosas; un libro debe, simplemente, ayudarnos a descubrirlas》; así, pese a no ser perfecto, este libro nos cautiva con su intensidad y, debido justamente su irregularidad, indirectamente nos invita a buscar más información sobre los temas que toca.

Por respeto, mencionaré todos los capítulos; por respeto, mis palabras y silencios hablarán. Si no abunda mi memoria, es porque no era yo su lector.

Construir el enemigo: primer ensayo, que deja buen sabor de boca, como una cucharada de azúcar. Y como el azúcar, más que alimento retrasa el hambre. Cierto, los extractos textuales son increíbles en el sentido literal de la palabra ¿Como es que alguien pudo decir tales cosas de los judios, de los negros, de las mujeres, o de los cuerpos(para asegurar el celibato) sin que lo fulminara un rayo o la tierra se abriese bajos sus pies? Pero no es suficiente; Eco menciona la deshumanización del enemigo, del valor del enemigo como recurso indispensable de todo imperio...pero ahí queda. Y de ahí pasamos de largo. Y sí, siendo más especifico me refiero a que no dice nada, nada, N A D A de los once principios de la propaganda Nazi creados por Joseph Goebbels.

Lo absoluto y lo relativo:
Primera oración, primer parrafo:
《Si han decidido venir aquí esta tarde, a pesar del título terrorífico de mi charla, quiere decir que están preparados para todo》

Última oración, tercer parrafo:
《Aquí, por lo tanto, me limitaré a no aclararles sino a confundirles las ideas.》

La llama es bella:
Tan sóla la primera parte de este ensayo fue necesaria para hacerme olvidar las preocupaciones de una decepción. Estás páginas son ese gran pilar que valen más que el dinero que intercambiamos con el vendedor.


Tras tesoros:
Que hay iglesias fetichistas que parece que guardan sangre, leche materna, huesos, prepucios y demás residuos que más vale no mencionar, entre otros objetos que ya todos imaginamos por su simpleza e importancia . Unos graaaandes carniceros. Pero es curioso..., cada iglesia que los guarda, aún en su majestuosidad y grandeza, vale menos que lo que guardan en su interior... Que sí, que parezco irrelevante, que oh my god, que esa esa la función de una caja fuerte, pero nadie contruye un centro comunitario pensando que algún día va a valer menos que la antena del cadáver de Carlos, La hormiga: héroe del proletariado, explorador y fundador de colonias milenarias. Se entiende.

Delicias fermentadas:
《Tras haber leído el corpus de [Piero] Camporesi, sabemos mucho más sobre la sangre, el pan, el vino o el chocolate, así como cosas inauditas sobre hambre, gusanos, bubones y escrófulas, fibras, intestinos, vómitos, voracidades, cucañas y carnavales》
Que esto sirva como aperitivo.

Los embriones fuera del paraíso:
《Mi intervención tiene un carácter puramente histórico y pretende relatar qué pensaba al respecto santo Tomás de Aquino. A lo sumo, el hecho de que pensara de forma distinta de la Iglesia actual dota a mi reconstrucción de una curiosidad particular》
Puede ser sumamente interesante si se tiene paciencia. Se dan posibles respuestas a como se entrega un alma, como se adquiere el pecado original y el desarollo de un alma en un feto y los tres estados que atraviesa, destruye y suma en su formación.

El Grupo 63, cuarenta años después:
Sobre el nacimiento, auge y caída de un grupo ultra exigente entre ellos mismos y los diamantes que nacieron de aquella presión.

«Hugo, Hélas!»
La poética del exceso:
Mantenerse alejado si no se ha leído 《el hombre que ríe》y 《Los míserables》porque los spoilers se mencionan de la nada. En cuanto al ensayo, se menciona la evolución del exceso a través del tiempo y cómo es utilizada a favor de la narrativa, máximizado a la enésima potencia por Hugo. No me cambió en absoluto, pude haber entendido todo lo que mencionaba leyendo directamente las obras.

《Velinas》 y silencio:
Se habla sobre las formas de censura. Precisamente la censura por ruido. Impuesto y autoimpuesto. Te puede enseñar alguna que otra cosa nueva; pero, en sí, sólo pone en palabras claras, sospechas u observaciones que ya tenemos. Útil para no olvidar y para poder explicar mejor a otros esta cuestión.


Astronomías imaginarias:
Tras un racha irregular volvemos con este ensayo de los más disfrutable ¿Cómo veían los hombres del lejano ayer el mundo que habitaban y el espacio más alla del vacío del cielo? Para que se den una idea, la teoría de la tierra plana es de la más básica entre todas las posibilidades que se barajaron hace mucho tiempo...


Yo soy Edmundo Dantès:
Básicamente, los errores que se cometen cuando se abusa de revelaciones argumentales redundantes o inútiles en los momentos menos indicados.


Sólo nos faltaba el 《Ulises》:
Casi veinte opiniones (ajenas al propio Eco) sobre la obra de Joyce. Prácticamente lo destrozan. Sí, es sólo eso.

Por qué nunca se encuentra la isla:
Una explicación sobre porqué hasta el siglo XVIII las islas se encontraban casi por azar y porqué volver a encontrarse con la misma era algo imposible.

Reflexionando sobre WikiLeaks:
Trata sobre lo que pasa cuando se desgarra la ilusión de absoluto poder y confidencialidad de los gobiernos y como esto puede afectar el mundo.


Finalizando la reseña, me gustaria hacer una confesión. A medida que leía el libro y redescubría el mundo y la historia, y a medida que me frustraba por como se abordaban gran parte de los temas, tuve una hermosa sensación que no hizo más que confirmarse al terminar el libro: En otra vida, en otro tiempo, en otro lugar, e incluso si yo fuera otra persona, tengo la total certeza de que este encuentro me habría llevado a este mismo lugar...habría hecho de mí un lector.

[Justinian Guan · Rating 5 out of 5]

book 2 of september. i'm super generous with my five stars and maybe not all the books i read really do deserve them but... this one definitely merits it. essays that automatically teach you intellectual humility / force it upon you by dint of showing you how much you really do not know. somehow eco talks intelligently about aquinas, maritime travel in the age of exploration, hölderlin, and wikileaks without batting an eye. this is the very meaning of erudition

(of course eco is human and draws from a bank of experiences that is finite and repeats itself sometimes. some names and themes thus obtain a recapitulation; pseudo-dionysus the areopagite appears (happily) more than once, for example! eco is best versed in the middle ages, sans doute because he had to delve into that world for his Name of the Rose and other texts. but what a world, usually unexplored by us, he knows!!)

edifying, humorous, provocative. to be devoured and enjoyed