A Man Without Hope. Italians in Their Own Home. Book 2

The book by the legendary writer Umberto Eco includes essays on the Italian neo-avant-garde, materials from discussions on "left" culture, and more. As always, an ironic tone, humor, and a healthy dose of skepticism resonate in the conversation about serious and important matters — about events in the political, social, and cultural life of the country. Being a person of encyclopedic knowledge, he skillfully plays with words, imbuing them with different meanings, so that the reader, enjoying the linguistic play and verbal images, willingly or unwittingly transitions from the simple to the complex and effortlessly moves closer to understanding what the master wanted to convey. The essays collected under one cover were published in the best Italian periodicals in the 1960s to early 1970s, but the passage of time does not diminish the merits or relevance of Professor Eco's texts — what he expressed remains contemporary even today, in our turbulent age, and at times, even ahead of its time.