Diario Minimo, Remixed [# 01]
The success of Borat brought back good memories. We would like to revisit the great parody that, in the shape of literary pastiche, lived in a monthly column in the pages of the Italian literary magazine Il Verri. Known as Diario Minimo and led by Umberto Eco, the column was published regularly between 1959 and 1961, offering an “inside out” look at the “languages of daily life.”
Diario has been compiled and published in a few opportunities, beginning with an Italian edition in 1963 (with the same name, reprinted in 1975) and followed by at least two English-language versions in 1992 (How to Travel with a Salmon & other essays), and 1993 (Misreadings), each focused on different topics.
The sharp observation displayed in Diario Minimo is as relevant today as it was over 40 years ago. We find this extremely impressive. For example, the column titled “The Discovery of America” was inspired by the US landing on the moon and evokes a mediatic spirit that is still very much alive in the same way (remember yesterday’s TV coverage of the midterm elections?). Revisiting Diario can uncover the essence of contemporary culture through those details that remain unchanged four decades later.
Click on the image below to read the (short) essay.
Enjoy.
