This is a collection of short stories which are most definitely satire for the intelligentsia. Eco's mind is a database of cultural references, linguistic foolery and razor-sharp wit.

The stories include "Granita," a retelling of Nabokov's famous tale with a geriatric object of desire and "The Discovery of America" which chronicles Columbus' 1492 landing on terra firma via the newscasting techniques used for man's first walk on the moon.

Eco's creativity knows no bounds. As with his other works, an understanding of topics as diverse as Adorno's theories and a Who's Who in the Greek pantheon of classical philsophers is definitely helpful, but not required. Even if the reader does not recognize all the references, she will undoubtedly recognize the talents of one of the greatest authors of our time. If you like to think and read at the same time, try some Eco. ( )

This turned out to be a collection of Eco's humorous columns from a literary magazine from the late 60s and early 70s. I would probably have gotten more out of it if I were more familiar with the works and events that Eco satirizes. Several of them were quite clever. ( )