Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco will celebrate a grand birthday this week while being honored by the worldwide community of intellectuals. The influential thinker turns 80 on Thursday and is expecting the gift of a lifetime- a book in The Library of Living Philosophers.
Most volumes in The Library of Living Philosophers exceed 1,000 pages and the tome dedicated to Umberto Eco should be no exception. The upcoming edition will include an ‘intellectual autobiography’ and a collection of essays written by other scholars about his academic work, including his novels which are considered an integral part of his contribution as a philosopher, to which Eco is asked to reply.
For his milestone birthday, Eco also has a gift to offer his readers: an updated version of his most famous work, The Name of the Rose. The first edition was published in 1980 and has gone on to sell 30 million copies in 44 languages.
The Piedmont writer was born in Alessandria on the 5th of January, 1932, and has dedicated his life to study. He is often referred to as the most famous living Italian intellectual.
Eco plans to spend his 80th birthday in the company of family and friends, with a relaxing celebration in the countryside in Le Marche.
