“I lacked the courage to investigate the weaknesses of the wicked, because I discovered they are the same as the weaknesses of the saintly.”

Italian semiotician and novelist of the late 20th century, Eco was a scholar of medieval literature and a cultural critic whose work bridged academia and fiction. He’s best known for *The Name of the Rose*, a historical mystery that blends philosophy and medieval intrigue, and for his essays on semiotics, media, and the nature of signs. His later novels, like *Foucault’s Pendulum*, explore conspiracy, knowledge, and the limits of interpretation.