What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, ‘The Name of the Rose’?
Umberto Eco calls himself a professor rather than a novelist though people know him more as a novelist. His novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ is a grand success. It is a serious novel with a detective yarn. But it delves into metaphysics, theology and medieval history. On asking by Mukund about the success of the novel, Eco tells that it is a mystery. But Umberto tells that through the novel, he could reach to million readers and in the U.S. alone two or three million copies were sold. The total sale exceeded 10 to 15 million copies.
Eco agrees that the medieval period can be one of reasons for success but simultaneously he points out that a lot of books have been written about the medieval past far before him. Its success is doubtful in a country where nobody has seen a cathedral or studied Latin. They rather like reading trash. So the success of his novel is. a mystery. In addition to this Eco points out that in case it had been written ten years earlier or ten years later, perhaps it would not have got the same success.
