Umberto Eco (1932-2016) was an Italian philosopher, a recognized expert in semiotics and medieval culture, but best known as the author of novels that combine historical authenticity, the writer's imagination and numerous riddles for erudite readers. The Folio publishing house also published such eco bestsellers as" the name of the Rose"," Baudolino"," Foucault's pendulum " and others.
This novel can be read with admiration or indignation, but it is impossible with indifference. After all, in the" Prague cemetery "there are conspiracies, dungeons full of corpses; ships that take off into the air; murdered Abbots who are resurrected several times; hysterical Satanists who send black masses; carbonarians and Parisian Communards, Freemasons, fake"Protocols of the sages of Zion"... However, a reader who has a habit of thinking immediately gets the feeling that he has already heard or read about all this. And this is indeed the case. Except for Captain Simonini, the main character of the book, all the other characters in Umberto Eco's novel actually existed and did exactly what is described...