Il Medioevo Cattedrali, Cavalieri, Città (La Edad Media II.)

Umberto Eco, one of the leading authors of contemporary world literature, is an important Italian writer, medieval historian, and semiotics expert, mostly known for his novels such as The Name of the Rose, Foucault's Pendulum, and The Prague Cemetery. Until his death in 2016, he wrote many works in the fields of history, art, aesthetics, and communication, as well as in the field of literature. The book “Medieval Ages II – Cathedrals, Knights, Cities” is the second of four volumes that examines the medieval period comprehensively in every aspect, from religion to politics, from inventions and discoveries to visual arts, from daily life to architectural living spaces in urban and rural areas. This invaluable medieval corpus has been meticulously crafted by esteemed writers, each of whom is an expert in their fields, and brought together by Eco's deep knowledge and experience. Although a chronological division is generally seen as a method, while different topics are handled by different authors with intersections, repetitions, and intertwinings, a system that does not contradict and is never dull but reinforces the issues and allows them to be remembered, is followed: This valuable work, which introduces the Middle Ages in all its aspects, is an indispensable resource for everyone interested in history and art and the development of understanding of space at the scale of buildings to the city and regional level. A bedside encyclopedia... The Middle Ages is known as a period defined as the dark age in the Age of Enlightenment when the church and imperial sovereignty disputes caused the public to pay high costs, and epidemics broke out and raged throughout. Despite all the harsh living conditions, Umberto Eco draws attention to the fact that much progress had been made in the darkness of this age and that new inventions were realized that would facilitate the daily life and production activities of human beings. In parallel with wars, conquests, political upheavals, and cultural struggles, medieval settlements also underwent a physical change and transformation. It was an age in which art, especially architecture, showed its glory. The book “Cathedrals, Knights, Cities” is a comprehensive, holistic source of information about the Middle Ages. It is a fundamental work for everyone related to art, especially architects. It is also an opportunity to reclassify the established vocabulary and revise common misconceptions.

Keywords: Architecture in literature, Architecture in contemporary literature, Castile, Cathedrals-knights-cities, Contemporary world literature, Contemporary italian literature, Cordoba, Cluny architecture, Francesco storti, Foucault's pendulum, Giovanni vitolo, Hagia sophia, Luigi carlo schiavi, Medieval age, Reinos de taifas, Semiology, Seville, Silvana musella, The prague cemetery, The name of the rose, Umberto Eco.