Umberto Eco sul New York Times magazine

(a proposito del suo ultimo libro)

[...]

So why would any country besides Italy be at risk of having the media takeover you describe? One of the reasons why foreigners are so interested in the Italian case is that Italy was in the last century a laboratory. It started with the Futurists. Their manifesto was in 1909. Then fascism — it was tested in the Italian laboratory and then it migrated to Spain, to the Balkans, to Germany.

Are you saying that Germany got the idea of fascism from Italy? Oh, certainly. According to what the historians say, it is so.

Maybe just the Italian historians. If you don’t like it, don’t tell it. I am indifferent.

You’re saying that Italy was a trendsetter in both fashion — or art — and fascism? Yes, O.K., why not?

(ovviamente la vera notizia è più sotto, quando l'intervistatrice fa riferimento al dipartimento di Comunicazione di Bologna ed Eco le dice di essere appena andato in pensione ;-) )

Tag: umberto eco