A wide-ranging collection of essays on the importance and meaning of literature by “one of the most influential thinkers of our time” (Los Angeles Times).   In this collection of essays and addresses delivered over the course of his long and celebrated career, Umberto Eco seeks "to understand the chemistry of [his] passion" for the word. From musings on Ptolemy and "the force of the false" to reflections on the experimental writing of Borges and Joyce, Eco's restless curiosity and encyclopedic knowledge are on dazzling display. On a more personal note, he also reveals his own ambitions and superstitions, his authorial anxieties and fears, letting readers into the private realms of his creative practice. Remarkably accessible and unfailingly stimulating, this collection exhibits the diversity of interests and originality of thought that have made Eco one of the world's literary giants.