Can't judge theological accuracy, but I was mad at Brown for not taking the trouble of researching his Italian scene. He writes about our Police, Carabinieri and various Italian life details in a totally unrealistic and often wrong manner. So, I tend to have little faith in his more theorethical research also.
As I mentioned above, some of my Harvard friends have told me he writes about Harvard in a similarly unrealistic and wrong manner. All I know is that most of the events he describes with respect to the early Church persecution of the "Illuminati" is fabricated, and he makes a whole host of factual errors with respect to other historical events.

Well, Eco is full professor in Bologna University, with tonns of well respected academic work. Nobody can suspect him of not knowing the matter!
Oh yes, Eco is definitely well-read, educated and usually interesting.

I agree with you. I could not understand, for instance,the need for all the remembrances of the war years. But Eco is a sort of mytical figure in Italian culture. The Great Academic and The Great Bestsellers Writer (we don't have many of those...) rolled in one. So, i think no editor would dare suggest to change a comma!
That was what I suspected. Although much of the book is good, I kept wondering whether his fame was such that no one dared tell him the simple truth that he rambled on and on about things.

My preferite stays "The name of the rose". It's the one where the better equilibrium of the various writing levels is reached. The worst for me was Baudolino : the best thing is the introduction, written in a funny invented language (interesting how is has been translated!). But the oriental adventures part I really could not stand, to me it don't make any sense at all.
Oh yes! The beginning was great - it was based on reading the first chapter there, the one he writes in a messed up mix of languages, that I bought the book. I also liked the adventures of Baudolino up through when Frederick died (or, as the story would have us believe, was murdered). After that, when the story became utterly fantastic, I lost interest quickly.

Tank you for the interesting (as nearly always, with you) post.


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