Il nome della rosa
The best-known entry point into Eco's fiction and a strong introduction to his historical imagination, semiotics, and narrative style.
Author guide
Umberto Eco Books in Order
Umberto Eco was an Italian scholar and writer whose work ranged across medieval aesthetics, semiotics, literary theory, mass culture, translation, bibliophilia, and fiction. He wrote seven major novels, including The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum, as well as influential theoretical studies, essay collections, children's books, satirical pamphlets, and illustrated works.
novelssemioticsliterary criticismaestheticsessaysphilosophycultural criticismchildren's literaturesatirebibliophilia
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Opera aperta
A foundational work for understanding Eco's theories of interpretation, form, and reader participation.
Diario minimo
An accessible introduction to Eco's satire, cultural criticism, and comic prose.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (8)
- Il problema estetico in San Tommaso
nonfiction · 1956
- Beato di Liébana: Miniature del Beato de Fernando I y Sancha
illustrated-nonfiction · 1973
- Il nome della rosa
novel · 1980
It is the year 1327. Franciscans in an Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, but Brother William of Baskerville’s investigation is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths.
- Il pendolo di Foucault
novel · 1988
- La misteriosa fiamma della regina Loana
illustrated-novel · 2004
- Il cimitero di Praga
novel · 2010
"19th-century Europe--from Turin to Prague to Paris--abounds with the ghastly and the mysterious. Jesuits plot against Freemasons. In Italy, republicans strangle priests with their own intestines. In France, during the Paris Commune,…
- Numero zero
novel · 2015
1945, Lake Como. Mussolini and his mistress are captured and shot by local partisans. The precise circumstances of Il Duce's death remain controversial. 1992, Milan. Colonna, a depressed hack writer, is offered a fee he can't resist to…
Nonfiction (11)
- Apocalittici e integrati
cultural-criticism · 1964
- Le poetiche di Joyce
literary-criticism · 1965
- Le forme del contenuto
literary-criticism · 1971
- Il costume di casa
cultural-criticism · 1973
- Eugenio Carmi: Una pittura di paesaggio?
art-criticism · 1973
- Il superuomo di massa
literary-criticism · 1976
“Questo libro raccoglie una serie di studi scritti in diverse occasioni ed è dominato da una sola idea fissa. Inoltre questa idea non è la mia, ma di Gramsci. L’idea fissa, che giustifica anche il titolo, è la seguente: ‘mi pare che si…
- Postille al nome della rosa
literary-criticism · 1983
- La ricerca della lingua perfetta nella cultura europea
linguistic-cultural-history · 1993
- Kant e l'ornitorinco
philosophy · 1997
- Vertigine della lista
art-history · 2009
- Storia delle terre e dei luoghi leggendari
cultural-history · 2013
Essays and speeches (20)
- Filosofi in libertà
satirical-pamphlet · 1958
- Diario minimo
essay-collection · 1963
- Storia di una rivoluzione mai esistita
pamphlet · 1976
- Dalla periferia dell'impero
essay-collection · 1977
- De bibliotheca
pamphlet · 1981
- Sette anni di desiderio
essay-collection · 1983
- Lo strano caso della Hanau 1609
pamphlet · 1989
- Il secondo diario minimo
essay-collection · 1992
- Incontro - Encounter - Rencontre
pamphlet · 1996
- Cinque scritti morali
essay-collection · 1997
- Serendipities: Language and Lunacy
essay-collection · 1998
Serendipities is an iconoclastic, dazzlingly erudite and witty demonstration, by one of the world's most brilliant thinkers, of how myths and lunacies can produce historical developments of no small significance. In Eco's words, 'even…
- La bustina di Minerva
essay-collection · 2000
- Sulla letteratura
essay-collection · 2002
- Il linguaggio della Terra Australe
pamphlet · 2004
- Il codice Temesvar
pamphlet · 2005
- A passo di gambero
essay-collection · 2006
- Sator Arepo eccetera
pamphlet · 2006
- Costruire il nemico e altri scritti occasionali
essay-collection · 2011
- Riflessioni sul dolore
pamphlet · 2014
- Pape Satàn Aleppe
essay-collection · 2016
Children's books (5)
- La bomba e il generale
children's-book · 1966
- I tre cosmonauti
children's-book · 1966
- Ammazza l'uccellino
children's-book · 1973
- Gli gnomi di Gnu
children's-book · 1992
- La storia de I promessi sposi
children's-book · 2010
Posthumous collections (1)
- Sulle spalle dei giganti
posthumous-essay-collection · 2017
Collaborations (12)
- Shaker: Il libro dei cocktail
co-authored-nonfiction · 1961
- Storia figurata delle invenzioni
co-authored-nonfiction · 1961
- Il caso Bond
co-authored-cultural-criticism · 1965
- Documenti su il nuovo Medioevo
co-authored-cultural-criticism · 1972
- I pampini bugiardi
co-authored-cultural-criticism · 1972
- Carolina Invernizio, Matilde Serao, Liala
co-authored-literary-criticism · 1979
- La riscoperta dell'America
co-authored-cultural-criticism · 1984
- In cosa crede chi non crede?
co-authored-dialogue · 1996
A inizio 1995 la rivista Liberal aveva proposto al Cardinal Martini e a Umberto Eco di aprire un dialogo. Questo libretto aveva poi riportato nel 1996 le lettere che i due si erano scambiati, ed era stato tradotto in seguito in sedici…
- Talking of Joyce
co-authored-literary-criticism · 1998
- Nel segno della parola
co-authored-dialogue · 2005
- Non sperate di liberarvi dei libri
co-authored-dialogue · 2009
- Da dove si comincia?
co-authored-dialogue · 2013
Other (19)
- Opera aperta
aesthetics · 1962
Depuis le début du siècle sont apparues des œuvres qui s'offrent à une pluralité d'organisations: compositions musicales dont les parties sont à enchaîner selon le choix de l'interprète, sculptures mobiles, tableaux informels, jeux…
- Appunti per una semiologia delle comunicazioni visive
semiotics · 1967
- La definizione dell'arte
aesthetics · 1968
- La struttura assente
semiotics · 1968
- Il segno
semiotics · 1973
- Trattato di semiotica generale
semiotics · 1975
- Stelle & stellette: La via lattea mormorò
illustrated-satire · 1976
- Lector in fabula
literary-theory · 1979
- Semiotica e filosofia del linguaggio
semiotics · 1984
- Arte e bellezza nell'estetica medievale
aesthetics · 1987
Tutte le culture hanno avuto un'idea del bello e dell'arte, ma non tutte l'hanno elaborata in forma teorica esplicita, non sempre hanno considerato i due problemi come strettamente connessi e di solito non ne hanno parlato in termini di…
- I limiti dell'interpretazione
literary-theory · 1990
- Vocali
artist's-book · 1991
- La memoria vegetale
bibliophilia · 1992
- Six Walks in the Fictional Woods
literary-theory · 1994
"Come stroll with me through the leafy glades of narrative..." With Umberto Eco as companion and guide, who could resist such an invitation? In this exhilarating book, we accompany him as he explores the intricacies of fictional form and…
- Experiences in Translation
translation-theory · 2000
"Translation is not about comparing two languages, Umberto Eco argues, but about the interpretation of a text in two different languages.". "In this book he draws on his substantial practical experience to identify and discuss some…
- Riflessioni sulla bibliofilia
bibliophilia · 2001
- Dall'albero al labirinto
semiotics · 2007
- Confessions of a Young Novelist
literary-theory · 2011
Frequently asked questions about Umberto Eco
Who was Umberto Eco?
Umberto Eco was an Italian novelist, semiotician, philosopher, medievalist, literary critic, and university professor. He was especially known for combining scholarly ideas with accessible cultural writing and fiction.
Sources: unibo.it (opens in a new tab)treccani.it (opens in a new tab)
When and where was Umberto Eco born and when did he die?
He was born in Alessandria, Italy, on January 5, 1932, and died in Milan on February 19, 2016.
What did Umberto Eco do besides write novels?
Eco worked in television and publishing, wrote journalism and cultural criticism, and became a leading scholar of semiotics. At the University of Bologna, he helped establish Communication Sciences and founded the School of Advanced Studies in Humanities.
Sources: unibo.it (opens in a new tab)unibo.it (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Umberto Eco's thinking and writing?
His work was shaped by medieval philosophy and aesthetics, avant-garde art and music, mass communication, and the study of signs. His semiotic theory also drew on linguistics and philosophers including Charles Sanders Peirce.
Source: unibo.it (opens in a new tab)
What awards did Umberto Eco receive, and what is his legacy?
His novel The Name of the Rose won Italy's Premio Strega, and he later received major honors including the 2000 Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities. His legacy continues through the University of Bologna's Umberto Eco research and educational institutions, as well as his preserved library and archive.
Sources: premiostrega.it (opens in a new tab)fondazioneumbertoeco.org (opens in a new tab)unibo.it (opens in a new tab)