Umberto Eco (1932 - 2016) was an Italian writer, literary critic, and philosopher, whose intricate style of writing synthesized his interests in semiotics and history. Eco is best known for his first novel, a historical mystery entitled The Name of the Rose (1980). In 1980, Eco participated in The Kitchen's panel series on “Television, Society, and Art,” discussing television's capacity to enable mass communication and ideological dissemination.
