Umberto Eco to Hold a Public Lecture at the Assembly Hall of the University of Tartu

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"41069","attributes":{"alt":"","title":"","class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","wysiwyg":1}}]]On Wednesday, May 6, at 10.15 a.m., the world-famous semiotician Umberto Eco will hold a public lecture at the Assembly Hall of the University of Tartu. Before the lecture, Umberto Eco, who was conferred the title of the honorary doctor of the University of Tartu in 1996, will be presented with the medal and diploma of the honorary doctor.

Umberto Eco, the renowned Italian semiotician, philosopher and writer, will be visiting Estonia at the invitation of the Centre of Excellence for Cultural Theory, helmed by the University of Tartu. According to Kalevi Kull, Professor of Biosemiotics and the Head of UT Department of Semiotics, Eco’s visit accentuates the fact that Estonia still boasts one of the world’s most prominent hubs for semiotics, rich in ideas and fruitful research, whose role has not diminished since the times of Yuri Lotman and is as relevant in the 21st century as it was then.

On May 6, Umberto Eco will also meet with the students and academics of the UT Department of Semiotics. On Thursday, May 7, he will also deliver a lecture at the literature festival Prima Vista at the UT Library, where he will meet with the publishers and translators of his works in Estonia.

Umberto Eco will continue his visit in Estonia in Tallinn on May 8, where he will visit the archive library of Yuri Lotman and Zara Mints and participate in the seminar organised by the Centre of Excellence for Cultural Theory at the Tallinn University.

Umberto Eco is a Professor of the University of Bologna, semiotician, medievalist and writer. His ‘A Theory Of Semiotics’ (1976) is a classic treatise on semiotics, his novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ belongs is also a classic piece of literature. Of Eco’s novels and other writings, nine books have been published in Estonian.

Eco’s public lecture is entitled ‘On the Ontology of Fictional Characters: a Semiotic Study’. The webcast of the public lecture will be available at http://video.ut.ee.

The public lecture will be followed by a press conference held at the University Council Hall, 12 noon to 12.30 p.m. Members of the press who wish to participate should register by sending an e-mail to avalik@ut.ee by May 4, 2009, at the latest.

Additional information: Prof Kalevi Kull, Head of the Department of Semiotics of the University of Tartu, phone +372 737 5933, kalevi.kull@ut.ee

Karin Volmer
University of Tartu
Press Officer
phone +372 737 5683
mobile +372 5202807
e-mail: avalik@ut.ee
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