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33rd out of 404 books
—
141 voters
How to Travel with a Salmon and Other Essays
Once a columnist for an Italian literary magazine, Eco now shares his acute and highly entertaining sense of the absurd in modern life in these essays about militarism, computerese, cowboy and Indian movies, art criticism, librarians, semiotics, and much more--including himself.
Hardcover, 248 pages
Published
November 1st 1994
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
(first published 1992)
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Aug 05, 2011
Angus
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed-and-blogged,
nonfiction
Original post at Book Rhapsody.
***
Intro
After I adored Sedaris and sort of got tired of him, I went over to Eco. He is also a humorous writer, but I think there is a vast distance between his talent and that of the other’s. It is hard to see his humor coming, so one may end up farting while laughing.
Speaking of farting, this biological process is what drove me to try Eco. I was reading one of, ahem, Zafra’s collection of essays which was about Umberto Eco’s purple fart. I think it’s something lik...more
***
Intro
After I adored Sedaris and sort of got tired of him, I went over to Eco. He is also a humorous writer, but I think there is a vast distance between his talent and that of the other’s. It is hard to see his humor coming, so one may end up farting while laughing.
Speaking of farting, this biological process is what drove me to try Eco. I was reading one of, ahem, Zafra’s collection of essays which was about Umberto Eco’s purple fart. I think it’s something lik...more
Hilarity is what we can find while reading this sequel of his "Misreadings" (Picador 1994) since Umberto Eco has written like a true professor as aptly credited to St. Augustine I read somewhere some years ago, that is, 'St. Augustine wrote like a professor' [to verify, Would any GR friend please inform me if you know its reference?]. This of course has proven one thing, that is, writing is one of the tough, grinding and formidable processes essential to all good and great professors worldwide f...more
1 like · like · see review
Dec 15, 2010
Mazel
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nouvelles,
souvenir-de-lecture
Avez-vous déjà eu besoin de mettre un saumon fumé dans le mini-frigo de votre chambre d'hôtel ? Tenté d'installer un logiciel en lisant les trois volumes d'explications fournis par le fabricant. Renoncé à prendre un médicament anodin en raison des risques terribles que sa notice fait peser sur " certains sujets " ? Entrepris de chercher du sexe sur Internet ? Si vous répondez oui à l'une de ces questions, alors vous vous reconnaîtrez dans les pages de ce livre, qui relate, sur un mode hilarant e...more
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Mar 04, 2012
Pierre E. Loignon
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
litterature
Après avoir subi quelques pages du pénible « Galons et galaxies », j’ai courageusement persisté, dans un effort héroïque, à lire quelques rubriques de « Modes d’emploi » avant de sauter aux dernières sections, heureusement plus brèves. Mais comme pour moi, le médiocre ne se subsume pas sous la catégorie de quantité : où elle est, je suis néant et je n’ai donc fait que glisser mon regard sur ces promesses de concentré d’ennui où l’abruti trouvera à loisir le moyen de s’abrutir bien d’avantage.
Ce...more
Ce...more
I wouldn't say this is the best book ever (despite my love for the superlative, I wouldn't say that usually anyway). It is, however, a really amusing collection of stories, and the 3 that stand out for me are good enough to make me say I really liked it. I especially like the one replacing a driver's license in Milan, since that is where I am living at the time of reading it. I also liked his discussion of the academic department, and a few others that I have now forgotten. I skipped over some o...more
I have never had this much fun being made fun of. If you don't mind excessive exercises in the absurd, juxtaposed with educational wit this may be the book for you.
Sep 17, 2007
Nathan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Linguists and other degenerates.
Shelves:
humor
Hilarious, in that uniquely Eco-ian way. You will never travel with a dead aquatic special the same way again.
NC
NC
Brain candy, pure and simple. And good, too.
It is funny to me now how forward thinking Eco was in terms of the mobile phone, the subject of my favorite essay in this book. In 1992, when the devices were still a rarity, he likened a mobile phone not to a luxury item for the important, but as a dog collar for the servants. I don't remember the exact words anymore, but his main point seemed to be, "If you are really important, you have someone else take care of that stuff for you; you are not at anyone's beck and call." It changed my view th...more
There are some clever essays here, and some funny ones, too- in a smirk way, not a "ha-ha" way. But many of them seem more like casual blog posts than true essays, and some are outdated. The whole book is full of good ideas that are beaten into the ground and references that would probably be humorous if they didn't go over my head. The author loves to create elaborate mockeries of pretension, but they always came full circle into exasperating pretension themselves. Overall I was bored and confu...more
Kitap Eco'nun yazdığı köşe yazısı tadında "essay"lerden oluşuyor. Kimisi çok keyifli, kimisi saçma. Bazılarını çok beğendim, bazılarını ise okumadan geçtim.
"Özel Bir Kitaplığı Haklı Göstermenin Yolları" başlıklı yazısında, evine gelenlerin ısrarla sorduğu "bu kitapların hepsini okudun mu?" sorusuna nasıl cevap verdiğini anlatıyor.
"Üç Nokta Nasıl Kullanılır" yazısı da iyiydi, Ahmet Turan Alkan'ı yad ettim.
Onun dışında "Bir Sanat Kataloguna Önsöz Nasıl Yazılır?", "Porno Filmleri Nasıl Tanırsın...more
Ein bissig-amüsantes Leseerlebnis. Umberto Eco nimmt seine Umgebung mächtig auf die Schippe. Dies tut er allerdings an keiner Stelle des Buches auf eine beleidigende (zumindest nicht direkt...) oder platte Weise, sondern meist durch äußerst intelligenten Äußerungen ;)Das Buch lässt einen schmunzeln, an manchen Stellen sogar lachen. Allerdings fand ich einige Passagen zu ningelig und der letzte Abschnitt „Wahre Geschichten” war in meinen Augen nicht halb so schön wie die „Gebrauchsanweisungen”.
أعجبني في هذا الكتاب الإنتقاد الساخر، الذكي، والمضحك لأمور واقعية، بعيداً عن الهزل أو التجريح.. في مقاله (كيفية السفر مع سلمون) ينتقد كيف أن الانظمة المعلوماتية التي يفترض ان تجعل حياتنا اسهل هي ذاته يمكنها ان تجعل حياتنا اكثر تعقيدا وتجعل السفر مع سلمون صعباً!
فقط لمت نفسي على اختيار نسخة مترجمة مرتين! (نسخة المركز الثقافي العربي): من الايطالية إلى الفرنسية ومن ثم إلى العربية. ثمة كلمات فشلت الترجمة في نقلها الى العربية وأبقتها كما هي، وفي مواضع اخرى وجدتني قادرة على تصور ترجمات أفضل للعبارات!
ال...more
فقط لمت نفسي على اختيار نسخة مترجمة مرتين! (نسخة المركز الثقافي العربي): من الايطالية إلى الفرنسية ومن ثم إلى العربية. ثمة كلمات فشلت الترجمة في نقلها الى العربية وأبقتها كما هي، وفي مواضع اخرى وجدتني قادرة على تصور ترجمات أفضل للعبارات!
ال...more
Apr 11, 2009
Rob Essley
added it
Umberto Eco surprised me with his candor and regular-guy wit in the opening essay. He talks about the mini bar at hotels and how to keep this salmon he bought from going rancid on his way cross country. I found this to be hilarious. Some of the other essays in the book left me in the dust, specifically the ones that dealt with semiotics and were designed to be brain busters. Unless you're a genius, a savant, or a semiotics professor, you probably wouldn't get it. Fun stuff though, wading through...more
I just re-read this book, which I first read maybe 10 years ago. I'm not sure why, but before re-reading it, I had it in my head that it was a really great book, and I gave it 4 stars from memory. Maybe because I was younger and less well-read when I first read it, so it made a bigger impression on me? I don't know, but anyway, after reading it again, I'm downgrading it to 2 stars. :P I'd actually give it 2 1/2 if I could.
There were a handful of essays, mostly towards the beginning and end, that...more
There were a handful of essays, mostly towards the beginning and end, that...more
I have a real soft spot for Umberto Eco's short writing. This book is probably the best collection of his essays I have come across. They are translated beautifully into English, not that I can vouch for the retention of their full meaning (I don't speak Italian).
The title essay details all the wonderful eccentricities that come with international travel. From the poorly thought out, but well intentioned gifts of hosts, to the bloody-mindedness of hotel support staff, every reader will be able t...more
The title essay details all the wonderful eccentricities that come with international travel. From the poorly thought out, but well intentioned gifts of hosts, to the bloody-mindedness of hotel support staff, every reader will be able t...more
Italian author Umberto Eco wrote several humorous articles during his career and here's a collection of the classics. All articles are at least mildly entertaining, containing some all-too-true commentary on modern society and a few even managed to put a smile on my face. It is a quick and fun read with sharp social criticicm and irony-filled wittyness. A nice little gift idea.
A number of short essays on some pretty interesting topics. I couldn't help but laugh out load a couple of times which may speak more to my inability to control myself than anything. Some of the essays I didn't complete because I didn't find them that interesting but for the most part this was a good read. Easy to pick up and put down.
Umberto Econ kirjoittamia pakinoita 80- ja 90-luvuilta. Voisi sanoa, että pakina on aikansa kuva. Osa teksteistä on varsin hauskoja luettavia, ajalta jolloin tietokoneet ja kirjailijalle varsin avuliaat tekstinkäsittelyohjelmat vasta tekivät tuloaan. Enimmäkseen Econ pakinat eivät enää liiemmin sytytä. Ehkä kaksikymmen vuotta sitten olisi ollut toisin.
A few stuck out (How to Write an Introduction; How to Write an Introduction for an Art Catalog; How to Watch Out for Widows), but some sections felt so dry that I skipped them entirely. As a book of excessive ramblings of a privileged academic, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't all an indulgently pleasurable read. Meh.
A collection of short stories by Umberto Eco that includes some extremely funny, humorous stories, some thought-provoking stories, and several stories which were neither funny nor interesting. I did enjoy the variety of topics covered, and also admired Eco's wide ranging literary ability.
Recueil de nouvelles aux thèmes aussi variés qu'incongrus. Vous aussi apprenez à "voyager avec un saumon"; "renouveler votre permis de conduire en Italie" ou encore "gérer l'armée multi éspèces de l'empire galactique terrien du futur".
Ce livre est tout simplement à mourir de rire.
Ce livre est tout simplement à mourir de rire.
A genuine 'laugh-out-loud' book. I especially enjoyed his response to the question "What a lot of books. Have you read them all?" in the essay 'How to Justify a Private Library'. For those of you familiar with my library, that papers my house, you will appreciate his answer.
Entertaining stories. though well written, I seem to remember feeling like some of the stories were forced- as in the style was forced and mimicked a bit- and at the time I had an idea of who I felt was being mentored....
But a nice read nonetheless.
But a nice read nonetheless.
And how do you travel with a salmon?
I was attracted to this book because of the title. It's a compilation of short stories and essays about pretty much everything amusing! Most of the stories are hilariously funny and interesting to read.
I was attracted to this book because of the title. It's a compilation of short stories and essays about pretty much everything amusing! Most of the stories are hilariously funny and interesting to read.
Eco's very best novels are effortlessly delightful, and I loved these essays as I began to read. Unfortunately, the more I read, the more he came across like the drunken, boorish pedant that one can't wait to escape at a faculty dinner party. A huge disappointment.
Some of his essays were genius. The last essay in the book "The Miracle of San Baudolino" was amazing, truly insightful. The rest of the essays are more sophomoric than anything else, not my favorite style of essay, though contrary nonetheless.
Slightly dated by today's standards, and some of the pieces tend to drag (not to belabor the point...).
There are some gems of satire here that are timeless - those parodying bureaucracy, scholarly introductions and pornos to name a few.
There are some gems of satire here that are timeless - those parodying bureaucracy, scholarly introductions and pornos to name a few.
Dec 13, 2010
Agnesca
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
litterature-italienne
Ca faisait longtemps qu'un livre ne m'avait fait rire "à haute voix" !
En général il y a des livres qui amènent un sourire amusé à quelques bons mots, mais là il y a eu des moments d'esclaffage (?) ! Et j'en avais bien besoin... Si vous en connaissez d'autres dans la même veine..
En général il y a des livres qui amènent un sourire amusé à quelques bons mots, mais là il y a eu des moments d'esclaffage (?) ! Et j'en avais bien besoin... Si vous en connaissez d'autres dans la même veine..
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Umberto Eco is an Italian writer of fiction, essays, academic texts, and children's books, and certainly one of the finest authors of the twentieth century. A professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna, Eco’s brilliant fiction is known for its playful use of language and symbols, its astonishing array of allusions and references, and clever use of puzzles and narrative inventions. His per...more
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“American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100
degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad
stations for purposes of genocide, whereas coffee made with an American
percolator, such as you find in private houses or in humble luncheonettes,
served with eggs and bacon, is delicious, fragrant, goes down like pure
spring water, and afterwards causes severe palpitations, because one cup
contains more caffeine than four espressos.”
—
19 people liked it
degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad
stations for purposes of genocide, whereas coffee made with an American
percolator, such as you find in private houses or in humble luncheonettes,
served with eggs and bacon, is delicious, fragrant, goes down like pure
spring water, and afterwards causes severe palpitations, because one cup
contains more caffeine than four espressos.”
“For such is the fate of parody: it must never fear exaggerating. If it strikes home, it will only prefigure something that others will then do without a smile--and without a blush--in steadfast virile seriousness.”
—
2 people liked it
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May 17, 2013 05:31am