The Infinity Of Lists

Description

In the history of Western culture we find lists of saints, rosters of soldiers, catalogues of grotesque creatures or medicinal plants, and hordes of treasure. The poetics of lists can be found from Homer to Joyce, from the treasures of Gothic cathedrals to the fantastic landscapes of Bosch and cabinets of curiosities, until we get to Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst in the 20th century. This illustrated essay is accompanied by a literary anthology and a wide selection of works of art illustrating the texts presented.

Reviews

'A characteristic product of this extraordinary writer and polymath: learned, sparkling, insightful, provocative, packed full of intriguing and arcane information' Mary Beard, Guardian.

Author description

Umberto Eco's first novel, The Name of the Rose (1982), was a huge bestseller which brought him worldwide acclaim. With his subsequent works of fiction, philosophy, literary criticism and semiotics, he has been recognised as one of Europe's finest thinkers. Alastair McEwen is the translator of some of Italy's finest living writers, including Alessandro Baricco, Antonio Tabucchi, Sandro Veronesi and Fleur Jaeggy.