The New York Times, among many other publications, reported the death of philosopher/novelist/semiotician Umberto Eco on Friday, February 19. Eco of course has been of interest to the occultly inclined for many years owing to his incorporation of elements of hoary occult theory in his novels. Wikipedia notes:
“Foucault’s Pendulum is divided into ten segments represented by the ten Sefiroth. The novel is full of esoteric references to Kabbalah, alchemy and conspiracy theory—so many, that critic and novelist Anthony Burgess suggested that it needed an index.The pendulum of the title refers to an actual pendulum designed by the French physicist Léon Foucault to demonstrate Earth’s rotation, and has symbolic significance within the novel. Some believe it refers to the philosopher Michel Foucault, noting Eco’s friendship with the French philosopher, but the author “specifically rejects any intentional reference to Michel Foucault”—this is regarded as one of his subtle literary jokes.”
read the entire article here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault%27s_Pendulum
The NY Times piece starts:
“Umberto Eco, an Italian scholar in the arcane field of semiotics who became the author of best-selling novels, notably the blockbuster medieval mystery “The Name of the Rose,” died on Friday at his home in Milan. He was 84.
“His Italian publisher, Bompiani, confirmed his death, according to the Italian news agency ANSA. No cause was given.
“As a semiotician, Mr. Eco sought to interpret cultures through their signs and symbols — words, religious icons, banners, clothing, musical scores, even cartoons — and published more than 20 nonfiction books on these subjects while teaching at the University of Bologna, Europe’s oldest university.”
read the entire piece here:
