Numero Zero

by Umberto Eco, Richard Dixon (Translator)

It's 1992. Colonna is offered a fee he can’t refuse to ghostwrite a memoir. His subject, Braggadocio, is convinced that Mussolini’s corpse was a body double and part of a wider Fascist plot. When a body is found stabbed to death in a back alley, even Colonna is jolted out of his complacency.

Fuelled by conspiracy theories, Mafiosi, love, corruption and murder, Número Zero reverberates with the clash of forces that have shaped Italy since the Second World War.

Genres: Fiction, Italian Literature, Mystery, Literature, Italy, Historical Fiction, Novels

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

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

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A conspiracy theorist finds evidence that Mussolini DIDN'T die at the end of the Second World War, which should have resulted in a riveting read, but it took too long to get to the meat of the story for me. There was some witty dialogue along the way, and it did have some dramatic moments towards the end of the book, but not soon enough. Sorry but I found it disappointing.

[Nayra.Hassan · Rating 3 out of 5]

لو كانوا أذكياء ما تعاطوا مهنة قذرة كهذه
فليست الصحافة الا وليدة البيئةو العصر و مرآة تنعكس عليها نزوات المجتمع
متشكرين يا ايكو؛ لقد تذكرتك فورا عندما شاهدت اذكي اخواته

و هو يتفاخر بقراءة كتاب واحد فقط و هو:ماتوا مذلولين
و طبعا من ماتوا مذلولين هم نحن قراء ايكو و نحن نعافر لنفهم مراده و نتفهم اسلوبه
ايكو اراد ان يترك لنا ملحمة/ اخيرة /قصيرة/انما فيها سم قاتل اكيد عن عالم الصحافة الذي درسته انا طبعا


رواية عن الفضول و المعرفه و لكن نكهة ايكو تجعلها متاهة هندسية بالتاكيد فستتوه وسط خليط من الاستطرادات المميتة عن أبعاد المرسيدس و النبيذ و موسوليني الاصلي و البديل و الشيوعيةو بيوت الدعارة و المافيا

كل هذا في مناقشات {عفوية} خماسية بين مجموعة من الصحفيين المنكسرين "لن تقدر منهم سوي مايا" يكتبون عدد من الاعداد الصفرية{التجريبية} لجريدة الغد
المُفترض صدورها عام ١٩٩٢ و

يدرك بطلنا الصحفي الخمسيني الفاشل. ؛ عبثية ما يرتكبونه و لكن اكل العيش مر؛ و الفشل اكثر مرارة و عبر شهرين فقط ينقلب السحر علي الساحر

*اكثر من اخاف منهم هم: الاشرار المثقفين*
فعقلك سهل أن تخدعه وسهل أيضاً أن يخدعك هو الآخر لذلك لن يكف التاريخ ابدا عن طرح حقائق بديلة /أكاذيب حقيقية

و عندما يمسك بالقلم جاهل، وبالبندقية مجرم، وبالسلطة خائن، تتحول الاوطان إلى غابة لا تصلح لحياة البشر

و قد اثبت لنا ايكو بتعقيده و بعيدا عن اي بساطة ان الإعلام هو الكيان الأقوى على الأرض ..طالما لديهم القدرة على جعل المذنب بريء وجعل الأبرياء مذنبين ..
وهذه هي السلطة القصوى لأنها: تتحكم في عقول الجماهير

فلنتذكر دوما جملة. . ايكو الأثيرة
كثيرون خدعونا بل كلهم خدعونا

[Knjigoholičarka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Umberto Eko ima jedan veliki problem. Naime, njemu naprosto nije dozvoljeno da piše o svim onim temama koje ga interesuju. Kao duhoviti erudita, sasvim je za očekivati da Eko ima širok dijapazon interesovanja, počevši od srednjevekovne istorije Evrope ("Baudolino", "Ime ruže"), istorije katoličke crkve i njenih ogranaka i njenog uticaja na razvoj italijanske države i same Evrope ("Fukoovo klatno"), razvoje i značaja knjige, pismenosti i moći pisane reči ("Ime ruže", "Praško groblje", "Nulti broj"), pa do razvoja mržnje, istorije propagande i lažnih mitova, što urbanih, što istorijskih ("Praško groblje", "Nulti broj"). Ali avaj. Devedeset procenata njegovih najvernijih čitalaca pročitalo je samo jednu njegovu knjigu - "Ime ruže" - i tvrde kako je to baš strava detektivski roman, naročito kad preskočiš one dosadne delove sa filozofiranjem.

I tako. Džaba Eku sav pokušaj da čitaocima približi različite istorijske periode, džaba mu aluzije na Borhesa i njegove kosmičke biblioteke, džaba opisi zametka pismenosti na starom kontinentu. "Ime ruže" je o nekakvom Šerloku Holmsu u mantiji i tačka.

Tako da je bilo za očekivati da "Nulti broj" na Gudridsu dobije najnižu ocenu od svih Ekovih knjiga. Taj čovek je nemoguć, zar ne? Umesto da napiše nastavak avantura monaha-detektiva, on nam priča o tome kako su mediji u stanju da formiraju javno mnjenje, kako su čitaoci ti koji definišu naslove o kojima će sutra čitati u novinama, kako su novine, zapravo, izuzetno zgodan alat da otkrivanjem vesti istu upravo zataškate, da je od odbrane jedne strane daleko efikasnije diskreditovati drugu. Koliko su jezik, pismenost i njena dostupnost postali legitimno oružje u političkoj i međunacionalnoj borbi.

Naravno, sebi svojstvenim sarkazmom i suptilnom satirom, Eko parodira paranoičnu potrebu za stvaranjem teorija zavere i tamo gde ih ima, i tamo gde ih nema (sećate se onoga: "To što sam paranoičan, ne znači da me ne prate!"). Nije mogao da se suzdrži a da već tradicionalno malo ne potkači i majku Crkvu, koja upliće svoje prstiće gde god stigne*. Iako agnostik (i skeptik, kao svaki Pijemontežanin, po sopstvenom priznanju), Eko tokom svih ovih godina uspeva da zadrži objektivnu distancu prema Vatikanu, pišući o uticaju katoličke crkve u evropskoj (i italijanskoj) istoriji, bez zalazaka u agresivni ateizam ili tumačenje događaja koji su daleko izvan našeg vremena i dometa. A Italija, budući da se Vatikan nalazi u samom njenom srcu, verovatno je tlo na kome se ti uticaji najintenzivnije osećaju.

Ova knjiga je, uz "Tajanstveni plamen kraljice Loane" ljubavno pismo Italiji, domovini u kojoj Umberto Eko živi, čiju istoriju voli i otkriva celog života, od vrha Alpa do štikle one čizmice, ali se uvek vraća svom rodnom kraju, Alesandriji u Pijemontu, tromeđi italijanskih, francuskih i germanskih kulturnih uticaja, kolevci ujedinjenja italijanske države i začetku moderne italijanske istorije.

I tako, dobri čika-Umberto još jednom nas, ovoga puta krajnje jednostavno i na svega 200 strana (u savršenom prevodu Aleksandra Levija i Mirele Radosavljević) moli da mislimo svojom glavom. Samo toliko. A vi ne verujte ocenama na Gudridsu, nego ako vam se ova tema čini interesantnom, prosudite sami.

p.s. Nalećem na komentare i rivjue tipa "kmeee, nikakav razvoj likova", "cviiil, kakav loš zaplet". Nakon "Ruže"i "Fukoovog klatna", prvo je bilo pobune da je zaplet prekomplikovan. Dobro. Onda je Eko napisao "Baudolina". Onda je bilo kmečanja kako je lik nejasan i neshvatljiv (ikad čuli za nepouzdanog naratora? Pa Baudolino je lažovčina kakve nema u Univerzumu!). Dobro. Nakon "Praškog groblja" halabuka je dostigla kakofoniju - ovoga puta ni zaplet ni likovi nisu bili po zubu većini (koja je, kao i obično, spektakularno propustila da obrati pažnju na poentu, naštampanu masnim crnim slovima). Vox populi je s odobravanjem prihvatio Ekovo trolovanje da će napisati "Ime ruže for dummies", odnosno skraćeno izdanje romana. Ali on to nije uradio. Umesto toga dao nam je knjigu u kojoj su likovi puke alatke poruke koju je, jasno i bez previše opterećenja, hteo da nam prenese. Sad ni to nije dovoljno. Kao u onoj priči o mužu i ženi koji putuju na magarcu - svetu se ne može ugoditi. Čudim se kako Eko do sada nije odustao od namere da sa plebsom deli svoja otkrića i saznanja. Živ bio čiča-Umberto, ti piši šta hoćeš, a ko ne voli tvoje pisanije, neka ga ni ne čita.

p.p.s. moj je utisak da mi se knjiga sviđa (***), neki delovi mi se veoma sviđaju (****), ali iz čistog inata dajem pet zvezdica.

----------
*- doduše, izgleda da mu se i Aleksanda Dima Senior opasno zamerio, pošto ga pecka već drugi put, prvo u "Praškom groblju", a sada i ovde. :D

[Darwin8u · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Suspicions never go too far. Suspect, always, suspect, that's the only way you get to the truth. Isn't that what science says?"
-- Umberto Eco



I'm not sure what it is about aging, but some of my favorite writers DeLillo, Roth, and Eco produce absolutely shit novellas in their later years. DeLillo seems to have hit his high mark with Underworld. Philip Roth with The Plot Against America. The minor books these greats wrote in their later years (Roth's entire Nemesis series, for example) just seem like the apathetic efforts of grumpy old men who don't know how to NOT write, but actually seem fairly uninterested in the processes now. It bores them, and thus it bores us too.

And let me just say that when writing a book of less than 200 pages, all future authors take note, PLEASE don't use the term danse macabre more than once unless you are writing ON the medieval genre or allegory or personification of death. Seriously, where was the editor?

OK, to walk back my review, just a bit. There were a few interesting sections of this novella. The Mussolini/Vatican/Gladio/Stay-Behind conspiracy WAS interesting. Also, Eco's critique of journalism was pretty damn sharp. Just not sharp and interesting enough to make this anything more than a G-chord (muted middle finger) of a novel. But I would argue you get better writing and a more interesting story from the French Flaps on either Foucault's Pendulum or The Name of the Rose than you get from the entire Numero Niente.

[Steven Godin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear. What on earth happened to Umberto Eco here? It felt like an amateur writer trying to copy him; and doing a pretty bad job of it too. The main plot/conspiracy theory was absolutely ludicrous - but not as far-fetched and stupid as Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code was - involving the crazy idea that the real Mussolini was hiding within the Vatican while his body double was shot dead during WW2, plus there is a cover up implicating the Allies and the CIA, and the notion that Il Duce was suppose to resurface decades later. Now, as I understand it, Eco died in 2016 from cancer, and this novel came out the year before, so whether he was in poor health at the time I'm not sure, but the novel felt so lazily put together and underdeveloped it is sad to think this was his last. If Foucault's Pendulum was the equivalent of a huge challenging and additive cryptic crossword puzzle then Numero Zero is unfortunately a simple game of noughts and crosses. Because it still had some half decent satirical elements regarding what we do and don't believe in newspapers, the media, etc... that just about held things together, I'll give it an extra point.

[Valeriu Gherghel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probabil, romanul cel mai puțin semnificativ al lui Umberto Eco. Nu mi-a plăcut nici la prima lectură (în iulie 2016), nu mi-a plăcut nici acum. M-am întrebat adesea cum se face că un om cu mult bun gust și cu o știință de carte imensă nu-și dă seama că e pe cale să publice un roman precar. Am crezut o vreme că Numărul zero a apărut după moartea autorului (19 februarie 2016). M-am înșelat. Romanul se tipărise cu un an înainte, fusese recenzat în marile publicații din Italia și Franța.

Sigur, simțul critic nu e o însușire statornică, lucrează pe sărite (și numai cîte 7 secunde pe zi). Dacă nu ne-am înșela singuri, viața ar deveni insuportabilă. Psihologii știu asta și o spun în unanimitate, chiar dacă eu mă îndoiesc de acest „adevăr”.

Să-l examinăm pe Colonna, protagonistul și naratorul cărții. A încetat de mult să-și mai facă iluzii cu privire la geniul propriu. A visat să redacteze romane (care să-i aducă „glorie și bani”), dar a înțeles repede că e doar un diletant. A fost părăsit de soție, care l-a numit cu clarvăzătoare iubire un „ratat compulsiv” (p.12), n-a strîns averi, s-a descurcat cu greu, lucrînd pe la edituri și gazete de mîna a doua. Acum e chemat de un anume Simei să pregătească apariția unui ziar de șantaj, finanțat de Comandorul Vimercate. Nici această afacere nu-l va îmbogăți. Un asasinat misterios va duce la desființarea redacției. Dar orice eșec are și o parte pozitivă. Colonna s-a îndrăgostit de Maia Fresia care s-a îndrăgostit de Colonna. Se vor jertfi unul altuia. Viața poate fi frumoasă și fără bani.

Pentru acest temei, Colonna poate conchide în chipul cel mai senin:

„Maia este încă inocentă, pe cînd pe mine vîrsta m-a făcut înțelept. Și dacă știi că ești un ratat, singura consolare e să te gîndești că toți în jurul tău sînt niște înfrînți, chiar și învingătorii” (p.226).

[Sawsan · Rating 4 out of 5]

آخر رواية كتبها اُمبرتو ايكو... فكرة حقيقية وسرد مكثف
سرد يسخر وينتقد الأكاذيب والفساد والتضليل في السياسة والتاريخ والصحافة
تدور الأحداث في التسعينيات حول الإعداد لإصدار العدد صفر من جريدة الغد
يكتب ايكو بوضوح عن الشعارات والزيف والمؤامرات
التي تحكم الواقع بقوة بهدف الاستغلال والخداع والمصالح

[Jadranka · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Nulti broj" na odličan način prikazuje kako mediji utiču na formiranje javnog mnjenja, i kako se plasiranjem jedne priče lako skreće pažnja javnosti sa drugih, mnogo važnijih tema.
Zvuči poznato, zar ne?
Naravno, svemu ovome Eko je dodao jednu kafenu kašiku svog opšte poznatog osvrta na teorije zavere, prstohvat samo njemu svojstvenog patriotizma prema "majčici Italiji", i sve to fino upakovao u svega 200 stranica. Preporuka: čitati u dahu, bez uticaja remetilačkih faktora sa strane.
Ono što me čudi? jeste niska ocena na Goodreadsu.

Ocena:4.5/5*

[Owlseyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I cannot help but to say a few things, in the hope that, though absent, Eco will say something; yes, ...I mean, what would he say of this time of "fake news", Trump as president-elect, ...but above all, about tomorrow's Italy's referendum.

I've heard people speaking about "Italy as a lab", where "trends " show up up first and then reverberate throughout Europe. I hope so. It looks like some new stars [what, 5?] are meant to take hold of Italy's political power. We'll see TOMORROW. In the meantime, let's re-read Eco's brilliant novel...about the MEDIA. So one may not be fooled.

3rd December 2016

Sure, "crushing defeat" of the "yes" (~40%); the "no" won by around 60% . Yes, there are already reverberations.

5th December 2016





--
Morto Umberto Eco, aveva 84 anni
in: http://www.corriere.it/foto-gallery/c...

Eco:" We have a limit, a very discouraging, humiliating limit: death. That's why we like all the things that we assume have no limits and, therefore, no end. It's a way of escaping thoughts about death. We like lists because we don't want to die".

Interview in Der Spiegel, November 11, 2009

Update; thank you Eco...

Umberto Eco, 84, Best-Selling Academic Who Navigated Two Worlds, Dies
By JONATHAN KANDELLFEB. 19, 2016
in: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/20/art...







"It was a strange time. Mussolini was very charismatic, and like every Italian schoolchild at that time, I was enrolled in the Fascist youth movement. We were all obliged to wear military-style uniforms and attend rallies on Saturday, and we felt happy to do so. Today it would be like dressing up an American boy as a marine—he’d think it was amusing. The whole movement for us as children was something natural, like snow in the winter and heat in the summer. We couldn’t imagine that there was another way of living. I remember that period with the same tenderness with which anyone remembers childhood. I even remember the bombings, and the nights we spent in the shelter, with tenderness. When it all ended in 1943, with the first collapse of Fascism, I discovered in the democratic newspapers the existence of different political parties and views. To escape the bombings from September 1943 to April 1945—the most traumatic years in our nation’s history—my mother, my sister, and I went to live in the countryside, up in Monferrato, a Piedmontese village that was at the epicenter of the resistance."

Interview in The Paris Review*



No, this is not a story of annihilation: from number one to number zero, as the picture of the Duce might imply: he was a famous leader once, then got executed.

Numero Zero, is about the media; and more specifically about a publication that’s being prepared to show up for the first time as issue number zero . It’s a newspaper in the making; but never to come out, you’ll get to know.

50 year-old Colonna has a job proposal made by Simei, to act like this: he would join the paper-in-the-making, some editorial work, but at the same time would work as a “ghost” writer for the book of Simei. Simei knows the paper would never be published; he wants to get his millions from the book;... just like Colonna. A sort of scam-in-the-making, you might conclude.

A team has been gathered and assignments/reportages in several areas of the publication have been arranged: horoscopes, necrology, politics, and much more are the topics they discuss while gathering.

The paper is meant to be called The Tomorrow, to mark the difference; you know the “Daily Mail, “Corriere della Sera”…; this shall be a different sort of paper.

Colonna starts a sort of affair with much younger pink-papers worker Maia. Though he‘s reluctant on her, fearing to start thinking like she does, the romance evolves.

And yet, one character stands out: journalist Braggadocio. He’s the fool conspiracy theorist, ...most refined. He sees complots in several instances: but the greatest of all is this Duce issue. To Braggadocio the one executed was not the real one. He believes the real Duce managed to escape to Argentina after 1943, with the help of the Vatican.

His theories are well supported; he even ventures on more recent developments of the international politics: “the stay –behind” policy, aiming at containing the rise of communism in Europe; names of Italian politicians abound; the Aldo Moro case is mentioned; the CIA; and much, much more. Duce's triumphal return to Italy, namely.



And then he gets killed.

The paper gets dissolved and Colonna starts wondering about how right his work mate was. He just watched with Maia a BBC reportage on TV on the “stay-behind”.

Now that the police starts investigating the shut-paper, Colonna goes into hiding; with Maia. They wonder what’s next: travel abroad, to South America? To the South Seas isle? They’ve got the money. Colonna decides to stay in Italy.

You get the idea Italy is becoming more and more like other corrupted South America states. The book is a way to approach Italy’s history, and contemporary Italy. The book-diary results in a sort of criticism on the media and the manufacturing of the news; on this aspect it's just spectacular, Eco's expertise. Eco, the one, who, in fact, it's been years, writes for Italian papers.


[bombs may be good....]

But to me (I’m back on the Paris Review interview) I could not resist getting to the interpretation level and saying I’ve found the pages on Braggadocio’s theories too much informed and too much“personal”. I could dimly hear an Italian voice throughout those pages (sometimes many, dedicated to the events of wartime): Eco’s…as a child. Echoes of Eco’s childhood [!!]. That’s why I’ve found the book so “personal”.

One hundred and sixty pages, ….plus; in the Portuguese text. One year to write it down, said Eco. While all the other novels took six years, but Foucault's Pendulum (eight).

Short, but immense, at the same time. Many years on Italy’s contemporary History can be compressed in this tiny book.

It’s an alternative view, Braggadoccio’s. Eco’s as child.

*http://www.theparisreview.org/intervi...

[Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

العدد صفر ..... أمبرتو إيكو

باكورة قراءات معرض الكتاب و آخر ما سطر وكتب وأبدع طيب الذكر الإيطالي العظيم أمبرتو إيكو، وكعادته دسم الكتابة غزير الملعلومات كثيفها، قادر على أن يستنفذ كل خلايا مخك لتفكر معه بصوت عالٍ حتى لو كانت روايته لا تتجاوز المئتين من الصفحات،قادر على أن يعيد لك تفكيرك بالكامل فيما يخص أشياء عدة،حتى لو كتب في بديهيات.

رواية إيكو الأخيرة هي عن الإعلام،وتوجهه وكيف ينجح في السيطرة على عقول البشر ولاسيما العامة منهم،كيف تتم صياغة الخبر وطرق نشره لا لشئ إلا للفت انتباه الناس لقضايا ما أو لجعلهم يغفلون عن أخرى، ولكن مهلا! هل إيكو يقصد هذا فقط؟ هل يكتفي برواية تشرح ذلك؟ إن فعل هذا لم يكن بالكاتب الذي عرفناه وتعودنا عليه،فهو يخرج من قمقمه جن عتيق يعيد صياغة التاريخ ويسرد الحقائق التي غفلنا عنها،ليجبرنا على التفكير الدقيق.

رواية غاية الظرف،حتى لو اضطرتك أن تركز في كل سطر مكتوب،لكي لا تفوّت شئ من غرض إيكو الرئيس، رواية تجبرك على القراءة ثم القراءة وإعادتها،لكي تكتشف في كل مرّة جمال مخفي عنك،وهذا هو أمبرتو الحقيقي،فهو يربطك معه برباط مقدس لا يسقط حتى بموته.

الرواية ببساطة عن مشروع خداع ضخم،احد الشخصيات يريد أن يضغط على أطراف ما،فلم يجد خير من صحيفة مفترضه تكفل له غرضه، ولكن عندما يبدأ في تنفيذ مخططه،يستعين بشخصيات محترفة في مجال الصحافة،وعندما تبدا الاستعدادت لاطلاق العدد الاول من الجريدة(العدد صفر) تبدأ معها دوامة لا يخرجون منها ولا نحن كذلك.

الرواية إيطالية حتى النخاع،بحس الكاتب الإيطالي العنيف صاحب حس الدعابة اللامنتهي،يلقي نكات هنا وهناك، فنبتسم ولكن بعدها نكتشف أن دعاباته لم تكن مجرد دعابات فهي مجرد خيط في ثوب عملاق اسمه أدب أمبرتو إيكو والذي تتصاغر بجانبه كل ما يشبه كتاباته.

الرواية ممتعة مرهقة تحتاج إلى تمعن وإلى تركيز،فهي لم تُكتب لقارئ كسول ملول.

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was an alright read, with some interesting content... but it's not going to go down in history as one of Eco's major novels. As a matter of fact, I hesitate to classify it as a novel. It's more like one of Eco's essays, fleshed out with a bit of plot.

The premise: in 1990s Italy, a journalist, Colonna, is hired to work at a news magazine that, he's told up front, will never actually be published. The concept will instead be used to achieve the publisher's political ends, by making certain parties afraid of what the paper MIGHT choose to expose, when it launches. But of course, to make it look like a real business, staffers are required. A motley crew of media misfits are assembled. However, one of them, the paranoid Braggadocio, comes up with a far-fetched conspiracy theory involving military scandal and secrets reaching right up to the Vatican. The idea seems like pure fantasy - but when a very real murder occurs, it seem like someone might want Braggadocio's ideas kept silent. As someone who's known to have listened to his stories, Colonna is now in fear for his life...

The plot summary makes the book sound a bit more exciting than it is. The majority of it is commentary on the news media and its place and function in our society. There are some very funny, witty and insightful bits - but I feel like I probably missed some of it, due to it being very clearly intended for an Italian audience. The 1990s setting made it also feel strangely out-of-date: with the advent of the internet, news reporting has changed a LOT, and it seems like Eco intentionally put his story in the past because he didn't want to deal with any of that at all. it would have required a more complex book, because the dynamics between publisher, journalist, subject and audience which this book deals with are all affected by the changes that have happened over the past decades.

[فهد الفهد · Rating 3 out of 5]

العدد صفر

آخر روايات الإيطالي الراحل (أمبرتو ايكو) صاحب اسم الوردة، صدرت هذه الرواية سنة 2015 م، وحصلت على ترجمتها العربية قبل أيام – هدية من صديق- في ذات الوقت الذي كنت أتابع فيه لقاءً قديماً مع ايكو حول روايته (مقبرة براغ)، فلذا تحمست للبدء بها من دون إدراجها في خططي القرائية الطويلة والتي ستجعل قراءتها مؤجلة لشهور وربما لسنوات.

تحدث ايكو في المقابلة التي أشرت إليها بلهجته الإيطالية الثقيلة عن (مقبرة براغ) وتجربة كتابتها، ورغم معرفتي بأسلوب ايكو والذي يقترب من الهوس – تحدث عنه في (حاشية على اسم الوردة)-، إلا أن المقابلة كشفت جانباً آخر من الرجل، وهو جانب الروائي المستمتع بما يفعله والذي يفرض أحداث معينة على روايته فقط لأنه يريد الكتابة عنها، وقد لاحظت هذا في (العدد صفر)، فبطل الرواية يسير مع أحد زملائه في شوارع ميلانو، ويستغل ايكو هذا ليجعلهما يمران في شوارع معينة ليحدثنا عن تاريخها وذكرى الجرائم التي وقعت فيها، وقد أشار ايكو في المقابلة إلا أنه جعل بطل روايته (باودلينو) في القسطنطينية وفي ظروف زمنية معينة كحجة لزيارتها والكتابة عنها، وهذا أمر أقدره كثيراً في الروائيين، القدرة على الكتابة عن موضوع ما أو التطرق له لأنه يعجبنا ويهمنا، وكيف نجعل من هذا الموضوع أصيلاً وليس مقحماً، يخدم الفكرة العامة للكتاب ويعززها.

العدد صفر في هذه الرواية هو العدد التجريبي لصحيفة إيطالية جديدة يجتمع البطل مع مجموعة من الكتاب المتوسطين أو الفاشلين للعمل على تحريرها، وبدعم من ثري مريب يبدو أنه يستغل الصحيفة كوسيلة ابتزاز فعالة، من هذه القصة الصغيرة يدخل ايكو إلى عالم الصحافة كما يعود إلى عالم المؤامرات الذي كان الموضوعة الأساس لـ (مقبرة براغ)، أما المؤامرة هذه المرة والتي يعمل زميل البطل على كشفها هي مقتل موسوليني، هل قتل موسوليني حقاً؟ أم أن الذي قتل شبيه له؟ يبدو أنه لا يوجد زعيم سياسي مات حقاً في العقلية المؤامرتية وأن العالم لايزال يغص بكل هؤلاء الزعماء، ربما هناك ما يشبه المنتجع الذي يعتزل فيه هؤلاء الزعماء بعيداً في سنواتهم الأخيرة تاركين أشباههم يتدلون من المشانق أو يواجهون فرق الإعدام أو خناجر الخونة، ربما!!

هذه رواية شيخ متعب، ككل الروايات الأخيرة لكتابنا العظام والمحبوبين نقرأها بامتنان متلمسين بقايا تلك الموهبة المشتعلة التي أحببناها في كتبهم الأولى.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tale about a rather discontented, failed hack journalist, named Colonna. Colonna feels he did not graduate because of the influence of his university professor - Professor De Sarnis and drifted into work translating. Later, he worked as a journalist and ghostwriter and, it is through this last career of sorts, that he finds himself approached by Professor De Sarnis in middle age. Colonna is asked to ghost write the memoirs of a journalist about setting up a newspaper that is never expected to appear in print.

When we first meet Colonna at the beginning of the novel, he believes his flat has been searched and that he has a secret of great importance. Gradually, the story unfolds as to why he believes his life is in danger; which involves the dummy newspaper and the belief of one of the journalists, Romano Braggadocio, that he has information of a conspiracy concerning Mussolini at the end of the war.

Part conspiracy theory, part satire; the author uses this short novel to explore various themes - from journalism to the media and society itself. The themes are interesting and the writing witty and intelligent, but the overall storyline did not manage to hang together as an involving plot to really work for me. Still, it was an enjoyable, intriguing, book and I was glad that I read it. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

[Zaphirenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 αστεράκια (επειδή είναι Umberto Eco, το μισό είναι υπέρ του).
Η γραφή του Eco είναι απολαυστική όπως πάντα και το θέμα της συνωμοσιολογίας γύρω από το θάνατο του Μουσολίνι και του τρόπου με τον οποίο λειτουργεί η πληροφόρηση από τα μέσα ενημέρωσης είναι πολύ ενδιαφέρον, ανήκει άλλωστε στα ζητήματα που ο Έκο πραγματεύεται συχνά. Ωστόσο, το μέγεθος του βιβλίου δεν προσφέρεται για ανάπτυξη των χαρακτήρων και κάποιας υπόθεσης, η οποία είναι τελείως υποτυπώδης. Θεωρώ ότι είναι γραμμένο κάπως βιαστικά. Πολύ καλό βρήκα το τελευταίο κεφάλαιο όπου συνοψίζεται η κεντρική ιδέα του βιβλίου με τη σύγκριση μεταξύ της ιστορίας του Μπραγκαντότσο και του ντοκυμανταίρ του BBC αλλά δε δικαιολογεί την ύπαρξη ολόκληρου μυθιστορήματος. Πιστεύω ότι η ιδέα θα είχε υλοποιηθεί με μεγαλύτερη επιτυχία εάν το βιβλίο ήταν δοκίμιο ή έστω διήγημα.

[La mia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sciatto, privo di qualunque costruzione, senza struttura, senza storia, senza personaggi. Di grottesco in questo romanzo c’è solo il fatto che sia stato pubblicato. L’unico pregio che ha è di essere breve, si legge in un paio d’ore: tempo sprecato, ma almeno breve. Molti altri romanzi di Eco non mi avevano convinto, ridondanti e barocchi, inutilmente lunghi, a tratti noiosi. Ma in tutti avevo almeno apprezzato l’idea, la storia, il costrutto logico e i riferimenti culturali. In questo libro invece nulla di tutto ciò. Una storia non verosimile e male abbozzata, con personaggi insulsi e ridotti a pure voci, pretesti per inzuppare pagine di inutili e insulsi giochi di parole e banali argomentazioni sul giornalismo deteriore che nasconde anziché informare. Uno scoop che non è uno scoop, un amore che non appassiona, un delitto improbabile, e la storia si chiude senza essersi nemmeno aperta. Rimane l’amaro in bocca di non comprendere il motivo per cui un distinto signore come Umberto Eco abbia deciso di dare alle stampe questa schifezza, e nessuno l’abbia fermato.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again book with very low average rating ends on my favorite shelf. In fact I think this book with lowest average rating I read so far.

This is the first time my path crossed with Eco's and I can see right away that high praises are more than justified. This is book power of media ad how it can shape and manipulate public opinion, all written with witty style that was just pleasure to read.

[شهاب الدين · Rating 4 out of 5]

رحلتي الأولى مع العبقري أيكو، والحمدلله إنها رحلتي الأولى، لأن من الواضح جداً في تقييمات هذه الرواية، التأثير السلبي بالرواية الأخرى الشهيرة " اسم الوردة " حيث ستتحول جميع أعمال أيكو فيما بعد لجملة جيدة لكنها ليست مثل أسم الوردة، وبما لأنني لا أعرف أسم الوردة، فهي جيدة جداً وكفى.



الصحافة، السلاح الكاذب لجميع الشعوب والحكام، هناك ما يسمى بثالوث الصحافة الصفرا. هنا يتحدث أيكو عن العمود الرابع من الصحافة الصفراء، تزييف الحقائق وتخليق الأحداث، تشويه الأشخاص، وإبتزاز الأخرين في حدود الحيز الصحافي المسموح به.



رواية تتحدث عن جريدة " الغد " تلك الجريدة التي لن تنشر ابداً، ثم تحملك في بحث مطول ومفصل ودسم في حقيقة قتل الدوتشي موسوليني، وهل قُتل موسوليني بالفعل؟
هل كان لموسوليني شبيه كما كان لكل ديكتاتور شبيه؟ هل عاش موسوليني في هذا العالم حتى سبعينات القرن الماضي؟ وأن جثمان الدوتشي الذي تم دهسه تماماً، لم يكن إلا شبيهه وعشيقته؟ تلك مسألة قرأتها للمرة الأولى في صفحات أيكو، لكن بقليل من البحث وجدت عنها الكثير من الأقاويل والتخمينات والروايات التي لم ولن يثبت صحتها.

وإا عمل أحدكم في الصحافة ولو قليلاً سيتخيل مدى عبقرية أيكو في تلك الرواية، عبقري إلى أقصى حد، الكثير هرب من التفاصيل الزائدة في الرواية، لكني أحب الرواية التي تجعلني أبحث خلفها دائماً حتى لو كان مقدار ما بحثته يساوي عدد صفحات الرواية الفعلي، ربما نعتبر تلك الرواية درس مكثف في الصحافة القذرة، درس مكثف لتدخل أبواب الصحافة من الخلف وإلى العرش الأكبر فيها. رواية موجهة في الأساس للشخص المحب للتفاصيل، والباحث قليلاً في تاريخ إيطاليا الحديث، والمطلع على العمل الصحافي.




’’ جثمان الدوتشي موسوليني بجانب كلارا بيتاتشي عشيقته
في ساحة لوريتو في ميلانو ف 29 أبريل. بعد إعدامهم بالرصاص في محاولة للهروب من إيطاليا نحو الشمال،وتم إلقاء القبض عليهم من قوات حركة المقاومة الإيطالية. ’’

الدوتشي قُتل، أو مات، الدوتشي، موسوليني أعدم على حدود إيطاليا، وعُلق جثمانه في ميلانو، أو ربما عاش طويلاً في الأرجنتين، لا أحد يتمكن من الحقيقة المطلقة، خصوصا أن الذكريات التي كُتبت في ذلك العصر، لم تكن بالمصداقية الكافية أبداً، لكن هل يُعقل أن نصدق تاريخ تم خلقه بالكامل؟ تم صنعه بالكامل؟ تم تزييفه إلى أخر سطر فيه.! لا يمكن أن تثق في أحد في هذا العالم.



لا داعي للخيال والروايات، لا داعي للتخمينات والتأويلات، أحياناً، وفي رحم أوروبا وبداخل المملكة الإيطالية، الواقع يفوق كل خيال، لا يمكن تخيل أمور بتلك الوحشية ابداً، لأن خيالك لن يتفوق على الفاشية أو الشيوعية، يكفي أن تقرأ الواقع وتستمتع به، الواقع أبليسي إلى أقصى حد.



21/8/2021

[Sam Quixote · Rating 1 out of 5]

Phewf – how’s this for a convoluted and dreary premise? Umberto Eco’s latest novel is set in Italy, 1992, where a hack writer is hired by a wealthy chancer to write the story of a newspaper/magazine he will establish – except, while he’ll still hire a staff to create editions full of content, he doesn’t intend to actually publish anything - that’ll apparently threaten the concerns of an even wealthier businessman who’ll get him to shut down the publication with a big payday.

What sort of plot is that? It isn’t. So what’s filling the pages? Random story ideas produced by the staff. Get ready for useless and overlong descriptions of cars and super-posh people with lengthy names/titles that can only be described as unreadable filler, as well as an extensive conspiracy theory about Mussolini being hidden by the Vatican in the years after the end of WW2.

I’m not sure why it had to be set in 1992 other than Eco (an elderly chap) doesn’t understand modern technology or journalism and so would’ve had to have made an effort to understand how things are done today. He wouldn’t have to in choosing instead to lapse into the less complex paper and pencil traditional approach to journalism that was still the early '90s.

So the “story” stinks - do the characters save the book? Nope! The cast are an uninteresting and unoriginal bunch. Our protagonist, Colonna, is a blank, a failed writer in his 50s while his girlfriend Maia doesn’t like writing for celebrity mags and one character thinks she’s autistic – an observation that is as irrelevant as everything else in this novel, going nowhere and adding nothing. It’s impossible to care about what happens to these two as they belatedly come up with ideas that’ll never be printed for a temporary job they dislike.

There’s Simei, the fake magazine’s owner, a cynical businessman whose mercenary attitude is alienating and there’s Braggadocio, the only other character of note, who stumbles across the supposed Mussolini conspiracy, and behaves like your garden variety paranoid nutjob. They’re not really characters but devices: Simei is only there to set up the premise while Braggadocio is there to fill up most of the book expounding on his rambling Mussolini conspiracy.

Numero Zero’s saving grace is that it’s short so you can barrel through it in no time. But what a tedious, slight novel about nothing! Witless and dull filled with dry, esoteric and unnecessary detail, I’m not sure who the audience for this boring book could possibly be – his publisher perhaps, to fulfil a contractual obligation? This was my first and last Umberto Eco novel – what an overrated writer!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο ήταν ιδιαίτερα μικρό, αλλά το νόημά του μια χαρά το πέρασε!

Η αρχή μου φάνηκε κουραστική, πολύ ανάλυση πραγμάτων που τότε δεν φαίνονταν σημαντικά και καθόλου δράση. Μετά τη μέση όμως τα πράγματα πήραν αυτή την ωραία άσχημη (!) τροπή που περίμενα: μια δολοφονία δημοσιογράφου ξεκινά μια καταδίωξη (αληθινή ή φανταστική δεν θα το μάθουμε ποτέ), όπου οι ήρωες συζητάνε το ρόλο των ΜΜΕ στη διαμόρφωση της κοινής γνώμης (αυτό γίνεται σε όλη τη διάρκεια του βιβλίου, με τις απόψεις που εκφράζονται να είναι ιδιαίτερα κυνικές), αλλά και τα μυστικά που τελικά μένουν καλά κρυμμένα μόνο αν έρθουν στο φως (!). Βιβλίο που διαβάζεται με τη μία, (μπορεί να είναι 240 σελίδες, αλλά η γραμματοσειρά είναι αρκετά μεγάλη, δεν θα ήταν κανονικά πάνω από 150) όπου σας δίνει μια μικρή γεύση από έναν κόσμο διαφθοράς, συμφερόντων και του ερωτήματος ποιος πραγματικά κυβερνά αυτόν τον πλανήτη!

[Andrei Tamaş · Rating 5 out of 5]

Umberto Eco, cel care nu dezamagește niciodată, indiferent de subiectul pe care îl abrdează. :)

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Numero Zero is a minor novel by Umberto Eco, the Italian novelist who previously wrote The Name of the Rose (1980) and Foucault's Pendulum (1988). It explores his continuing interests in mass media, media culture, and conspiracy theories, or more specifically, his interest in our cultural obsession with simulacra and counterfeit reality, "Il costume di casa" (Faith In Fakes). Set in 1992 Milan, Eco's novel cleverly weaves fiction with real-life events involving Mussolini, the Red Brigades and the CIA, to make the ultimate point that "newspapers are not there for spreading the news but for covering it up." With its intelligent cultural and literary references, Numero Zero will likely appeal to Umberto Eco addicts--because his are clearly novels of a great mind at work--but as a conspiracy thriller, Numero Zero just isn't that thrilling.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Eco is a master of the intricately plotted conspiracy theory novel. This is a perfect example, despite only being 200 pages long. The short length might make it seem more accessible but there is still a considerable amount to think about, to its benefit.

For me, the story itself was less interesting than the themes that underly it.

The book is imbued with cynicism; Eco mocks modern journalism, modern society, and the very nature of modern man. He highlights the void between what people say, and what they do, the difference between the word/image and reality. This is not a new idea, Thucydides was concerned about the imbalance of logos/ergon in 5thC BCE Athens. Yet, it seems so very relevant in our media driven society, where every thought and action is put online for purpose. The narratives of individials, groups, politicians, countries, celebrities, etc are constructed to present the 'right' image, the 'best' type of person, the most effective or profitable version of themselves. Everything is false, truth has no meaning; it is created by those with power. In this system, the news is made, not presented, and people are inherently self-obsessed and selfish.

Eco's writing is a fundamental part of this picture. It is choppy and urgent, with short sentences, and written as an almost stream of consciousness. It is suffused with detail, overwhelming or extraneous detail even. But it is this that gives it veracity, the accumulation of 'fact' upon 'fact' that makes it feel like real life. Against the thematic backdrop of falsehood and duplicity, the style acts as both a example of how words can create seeming truthfulness, and undermines itself by inviting you to doubt everything.

However, the book felt more like a 200 page critique or manifesto, rather than a novel. A selection of pointed scenes or discussions loosly linked together by the story. After reading, i'm left with little interest in the plot, but still thinking about the nature of media and truth in modern society. I'm not sure whether the author would consider that a success or not.

Many thanks to Umberto Eco, Vintage, and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

“E’ la stampa, bellezza. E tu non puoi farci niente”



L’apertura di un numero zero di un quotidiano – e l’organizzazione di una redazione giornalistica adatta allo scopo, che è quello di impadronirsi di fatti non ancora avvenuti e manovrarli “su ordinazione”- e la quasi contemporanea chiusura del medesimo ancora prima che venga pubblicato inglobano nella narrazione la situazione del giornalismo italiano e del sistema delle notizie, che, grazie alla collocazione dei fatti nel 1992, chiarisce immediatamente come i tempi di mani pulite non siano in nulla diversi da quelli di Vespa, Minzolini e del patto del Nazareno. La riflessione finale cupa ed amarissima sulla italica indifferenza di fronte alle notizie che ci bombardano ogni giorno, ci passano sopra e con un colpo di spugna sono cancellate dalle nostre coscienze indifferenti ed egoiste dà il colpo di grazia finale e costituisce un grido di allarme di un Umberto Eco che non ha scritto il capolavoro tra i suoi romanzi (ho letto tante recensioni negative, soprattutto di lettori affezionati che continuano a fare paragoni con i capolavori del passato; io non sono una affezionata lettrice di Eco e non posso fare paragoni, ritengo che il libro abbia certo delle pecche ma è scorrevole, a volte pure divertente e soprattutto utile) , ma un breve saggio critico con le sembianze di romanzo, in cui certamente i lettori più navigati non avranno trovato nulla di nuovo, ma che fa bene leggere per dare una scossa alla nostra imperturbabile normalità.

[Philippe Malzieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went via Bagnera. Absolutly no interest. I crossed here some lost tourists searching for the Expo.Never seing as much of people here and not very refined. Milano is satured. I was complained to go far away from the Duomo to felt in Italy.
Thus the last Eco. Strange to have choosen Milano for a book which looks like a thriller. This is not a city which inspires the mistery. Here, all appears so clean, so calm. Luxury and discretion. At 5 pm, I always observe the office exit. This is this discrete charm and chic. Glasses pointing out the shoes' color. In Milano, women are beautiful. It is not a stereotype.
I visited the Prada Foundation. It is the summit of the politically correct in contemporary art. The presentation of works is voluntarily disordered. For the rest all the stars are there but quality is debatable. A frankly ugly Gerhard Richter (I didn't know it was possible), Gobert without provocations Luxury, calm...
Eco speaks to a about the lead years. Here at plazza Fontana, there was an attack. Red brigade, mafia, Gladio...history is well known. I prefere the Simonetta Greggio's book on this topic. The outcome (via Bagnera) is quickly guessed. It is not a good book but it is better than many author's good book. What is funny, it is that french critics reproached this book to be an indictment against journalists.. Paranoia of a profession killed by internet.
To recover from this deception, I listened Lucia de Lamermoor at the Scala. A thought for Henry with whom I had discussesd on the Walter Scott's book. Diana Damrau sublimE.

[Mohamed Shady · Rating 4 out of 5]

مؤسف أنها أقصر مما نتمنى، مؤسف أنها مختلفة عن روايات إيكو الأخرى. لكنها مكتوبة بحرفية، وفيها روح إيكو وإخطبوطيته الغريبة فشكرًا.
ولترقد هذه الروح في أمان.

[Paula Mota]

DNF@ 25%

Os perdedores, como os autodidatas, têm sempre sempre conhecimentos mais vastos do que os vencedores: se queres vencer tens de saber uma coisa só e não perder tempo a sabê-las todas, o prazer da erudição está reservado aos perdedores. Quantas mais coisas uma pessoa sabe, mais as coisas não lhe correram como deveriam.

Embora tenha saídas divertidas, “Número Um” é uma paródia que perde as estribeiras. Para satirizar o mundo editorial e jornalístico, Umberto Eco opta pelo exagero. Dos nomes às conversas, das teorias de conspiração à manipulação das notícias, o autor vai acrescentando críticas demasiado explícitas sem dar espaço a que se leia nas entrelinhas neste livro escrito um ano antes da sua morte, tornando-o, assim, cansativo.

“Menina Fresia, chega a notícia da morte de Napoleão”.
“Bem, diria que o sr. Blanche, acreditemos como correcta a idade e a profissão, nos diz que talvez tenha sido injusto encerrar naquela ilha um homem já acabado, coitadinho, também ele tinha família.”

[Paulo Faria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Umberto Eco era um génio absoluto. Nunca escreveu uma linha desinteressante. Possuía uma cultura vastíssima, digna de um sábio de antigamente. Tão vasta, aliás, que não precisava de a exibir (o que seria insuportável). Essa cultura transparecia em cada uma das suas frases com uma naturalidade desarmante. Lê-lo é um exercício delicioso, um prazer intelectual sem fim.

«Número Zero» devia constituir leitura obrigatória para todos os jornalistas e para todos os candidatos a jornalistas, para todos os que consomem a imprensa escrita e falada. Para toda a gente, portanto. De modo certeiro, mas sem verrina nem ressentimento, Eco desmonta os mecanismos que regem a produção de notícias, hoje e no passado. Absolutamente genial.

[Paolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certo che Eco non si è sprecato, più che un libro un abbozzo in cui si avverte la fretta di arrivare in fondo, tirando via la vicenda ed altre volte indugiando sui topoi cari all'autore che sembrano un copia/incolla delle sue celebri "bustine".

Sempre arguto e qualche volta divertente, ma decisamente un'opera minore e sul tema del complottismo non dice niente di nuovo rispetto al Cimitero di Praga, tanto più che i complotti trattati qui sono ormai luogo comune.

Tre stelline come quando si dà 7 al primo della classe anche se meriterebbe 4.

[MTK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο για τη διαφθορά του τύπου, την κοινώς πλέον αποδεκτή αναξιοπιστία του και τις επιπτώσεις στις δυνατότητες ενημέρωσης του πολίτη. Αλλά εάν κάποιος θέλει να ξανανιώσει την ιδιοφυΐα του Έκο, καλύτερα να (ξανα)διαβάσει το Εκκρεμές του Φουκώ.

[الزهراء الصلاحي · Rating 3 out of 5]

"الحال أن مايا أعادت لي السلام، والثقة بنفسي، أو في الأقل عدم الثقة بالعالم الذي يحيط بنا. الحياة مقبولة، يكفي أن نكون قانعين".