Journey into the literary genius of Umberto Eco

Tue, 10/24/2023 - 10:15am

Story Location:
2 Theater Street
Damariscotta, ME 04543
United States

    There’s only one place in Maine to catch David Ferrario’s immersive documentary on Umberto Eco, the brilliant Italian writer best known for his novels “The Name of the Rose” and “Foucault's Pendulum.” Damariscotta’s historic Lincoln Theater presents “Umberto Eco: A Library of the World,” a big screen experience allowing audiences to follow Eco on a tour of his vast private library, consisting of over 50,000 volumes, and see firsthand Eco’s belief that a library is the “memory of the world.”
     
    Best known for his groundbreaking work surrounding the relationships between language, texts, authors, and audiences, Umberto Eco prompted conversations and controversy for both readers and authors. Eco demolished the wall between “high” and “low” art forms, recognizing mass media and pop culture as compelling, rich areas of academic pursuit. In “A Library of the World,” filmmaker David Ferrario will take you on what feels like a private tour of Umberto Eco’s personal library, guided by none other than the author himself. This feature length documentary combines new footage with material shot back in 2015, just one year before Eco’s death, documenting not only Eco’s incredible collection, but also the man who amassed it. As audiences follow along on the tour, they will also hear from Eco’s family as they reflect on his legacy, and will have the unique privilege of gaining insight into the incredible “library of the mind” of this vastly prolific and original thinker.
     
    According to Screen Slate, an online guide to moving images and culture, “Umberto Eco: A Library of the Mind” is "an affirming experience for those who line their living spaces with physical media in one form or another,” and “an apt memorial to Eco the avuncular public intellectual."
     
    Don’t miss this immersive experience, playing only at Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theater, Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. Tickets, $9 adult and $6 members and youth 18 and under, may be purchased in advance online or at the door beginning 30 minutes before showtime.
     
    Lincoln Theater is located at 2 Theater St. in Damariscotta. More information is available through the theater’s website at LincolnTheater.net, or by contacting the theater office at info@LincolnTheater.net or 207-563-3424.