Mumpy's Library

Echoes of Eco

I am reading again Umberto Eco's , The Name of the Rose and am astonished at how accomplished Eco is at creating so many layers by which this story can be read. 

The Name of the Rose can be read on one level as a great historical fiction about the lives of monks in 14th century Europe.  This story involves a great multiple-murder mystery within the walls of the Italian abbey that Brother William and young Adso visit during their journeys through Europe.  On a second level this book can be read as a philosophical treatise on the morality of laughter and on the theological argument of whether Jesus laughed.  On a third level the book is a treasure trove of symbolism. 

Few authors can create such layered complexity with such a masterful hand.  Only two others carry an echo of Eco's multifaceted fiction.   Jorge Luis Borges is adept at this in his collections of short-stories Ficciones and Everything and Nothing.  In fact, Borges' use of similar symbolism and imagery to Eco is well illustrated in the story The Library of Babel with it's infinite, hexagonal library.  The other author that Eco's work brings to mind is Arturo Perez-Reverte .  In my opinion, Perez-Reverte artfully demonstrates his ability to create a multidimensional masterpiece with his mystery novel The Flanders Panel.

It is such a wonderful experience to rediscover books such as these upon every reading. 

    

The Fantastic Four: Christie, Doyle, Tolkien and Poe

Agatha Christie , Sir Arthur Conan Doyle J.R.R. Tolkien , and Edgar Allan Poe ; these names evoke the ghosts of characters reaching through the mist of time for just another read, and another, and another. 

These are the authors of my formative years as a reader.  My literary tastes and preferences were molded through my adventures with Miss Marple, Mr. Holmes, Mr. Baggins and Mr. Usher. 

Visiting this site, you may have noticed a distinct lack of these authors in my recommendations section.  This was not intentional.  These "Fantastic Four" have become such a fixture in my library that I didn't think to mention them.  These are the great pioneers of their genres.  Their works have layed the foundations upon which all the other authors of their genre now rest. 

I would recommend any of the works of these greats.  To read such masters is truly a magical experience.