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A few years ago, the talented scribe Jean-Philippe de Tonnac orchestrated a series of intellectual interactions between two pillars of contemporary thought: Umberto Eco and Jean-Claude Carrière. The dialogues between these two figures revolved around central themes such as bibliophilia, the challenges the book must face in the face of modern technology, and stupidity. The result, N’espérez pas vous débarrasser des livres (Don’t Expect to Get Rid of Books), published in 2009, remains an international bestseller, a fruit of the exciting conversations he orchestrated between the two men. In Un été avec Umberto Eco (A Summer with Umberto Eco), he unveils the backstage of these interviews, which, alas, were not filmed. He details how Eco and Carrière tackle a range of subjects from bibliophilia to technology, including the art of organizing one’s library, and examine the history of the book from the time of papyrus to the digital age. The book also sheds light on the two men’s shared passion for rare and precious books. Un été avec Umberto Eco thus appears as an “appendix” to “Don’t Expect to Get Rid of Books”. The author’s talent and inspiration, which succeeded in bringing these two bright minds together, as well as this appendix to their conversation, offer us a deep dive into the heart of book civilization and the threats it faces today.
Reading in the Digital Age: The Importance of Books
“Great books strive to say what is still impossible to think,” wrote Maurice Maeterlinck. Isn’t that reason enough to indulge in reading books, and even to infinitely multiply the possession thereof? Some of them have this wonderful quality of always presenting themselves to us in a new light. Others, under shiny appearances, actually conceal a great power of evocation. A simple spark of thought is enough to ignite a great fire. Being in the presence of books is admirable! It gives security to those who are troubled, consoles or comforts the lonely, soothes restless souls, and allows those who aspire to rise to take flight towards the peaks. Books are landmarks on the path to wisdom. They are the primary tools in the quest for perfection. For the fruitful presence of books is manifest. Perhaps it is even superfluous to read them, their simple existence being sufficient. Nevertheless, they remain prominent in our lives, materializing the spirit through characters meticulously printed on paper. Each book hides its share of light between its pages, and one only needs to grasp it to be enlightened. Lovers of ancient writings, enlightened bibliophiles, are accustomed to a singular truth: within the thickness of their pages, some works preserve, in an intact manner, a part of the inherent power of their author, which, under certain conditions, can reveal itself as communicable. So, what would become of our being and our destiny if books were to disappear? If environmental and economic constraints forced us to part with them? Or if – faced with the advent of artificial intelligence – the next generations found their literary possessions, or reading, useless? In this troubling hypothesis, we would find ourselves facing profound intellectual and spiritual impoverishment, deprived of the treasures of knowledge, reflection, and inspiration that these objects from another time have offered us and would like to offer us.
“Don’t Hope to Get Rid of Books”: A Perpetual Legacy from Eco and Carrière
Behind an expert and persuasive pen, one senses how skillfully Jean-Philippe de Tonnac orchestrated the fascinating dialogue between Jean-Claude Carrière and Umberto Eco. This conversation spans the millennia of the history of the book, probing the transition from ancestral papyrus to the 21st-century e-reader. The story begins in Milan, where the learned “Professore” reveals to his mesmerized guest his very precious “vault room,” concealing a collection of rare works dedicated to occult, absurd, and extravagant sciences and imaginary languages. An invaluable treasure that the greatest initiates of worldwide bibliophilia would covet. We cannot find them on the market, as his Bibliotheca semiologica Curosa, lunatica, magica et pneumatica, which contained 1,200 ancient books of notable rarity, has joined the National Library of Brera in Milan. The story then moves to Paris, at Jean-Claude Carrière’s home, the stage of fruitful work sessions. Finally, the reader is led to Monte Cerignone, Umberto Eco’s summer residence, where the spirit shines and crackles, from the salon where the verbal jousts take place to the swimming pool, and from meditative walks to delectable meals. Thus, fifteen years after the erudite conversation between Eco and Carrière, the book, this remnant of an era that then seemed to be over, stubbornly continues to populate our shelves, to fill our stalls, to fertilize our imaginations. It was even considered “indispensable,” “helpful” during the pandemic. It is a survivor, a recalcitrant witness to the ineffable beauty of history and knowledge. However, a grim shadow now hangs over its existence – not that of digital technology, a challenge it has met with surprising strength, but rather that of artificial intelligence, a second-order intelligence, a threat that risks reshaping our relationship with information, literature, and knowledge. This force, this wave of unprecedented power, was a distant horizon, almost unthinkable, during the conversation between Eco and Carrière. Today, it is becoming more and more pressing, threatening to overthrow the centuries-old throne of the book, to relegate it to the rank of a simple curiosity of a bygone era. Eco and Carrière did not foresee this threat. What could they tell us about it today? That our civilization is about to collapse in the face of the loss of its collective intelligence? Can the book resist this challenge? All those who remain loyal to it can only contemplate this titanic battle, silent witnesses to a new story being built: that of an inharmonic society, prey to a human intelligence that can no longer be evolutionary because it is grappling with an evolutionist artificial intelligence.
Should We Be Wary of Books?
But at the heart of Un été avec Umberto Eco are the profound questions posed by Eco and Carrière. “What is the most beautiful book in the world?” they ask, inviting the reader to reflect on the aesthetic and intellectual value of books. They ponder the transition from the incunabula to the book after December 31, 1500. They discuss the passion for collecting and the motivations that may hide behind this need to possess. They discourse on the best way to organize one’s library. And they end – in a savory chapter – questioning the different forms of stupidity, thus exploring the limits of knowledge and ignorance, and how these limits are paradoxically highlighted by books.
We sanctify the book. But, in reality, if we look closer, a staggering part of our libraries is composed of books written by people without any talent. Indeed, if we take a closer look, an astonishing portion of our libraries is composed of books written by people with no talent, or by fools, or by obsessives. Among the scrolls contained in the library of Alexandria that went up in smoke, whatever that number may actually be, there was undoubtedly a vast majority of nonsense.
As we journey through life, we awaken to the sovereignty of stupidity and its perennial rooting. We decipher it in fixed traits, where it gazes at itself with disconcerting obstinacy. Then, one day, we acquire the ability to spot it, even when it hides behind masks that skillfully mimic deep thought. Thus, books have the potential to perpetuate this stupidity by offering it a durable means of transmission. Publishers will always publish worthless works, foolish books; yet the goal is not to reproduce in our writings the pettiness and mistakes made by humanity before us. On the contrary, it’s about clearly representing certain ideas that, though still hidden from the general public, reflect the divine spirit. The twin intelligences of Umberto Eco and Jean-Claude Carrière were the noblest expression of this.
The interaction between Eco and Carrière, as described by the author, is a fascinating spectacle in itself. Eco, the methodical academic, and Carrière, the digressive wanderer, have sometimes different approaches to thought and discussion, but they always find common ground, and a deep symbiosis in their love for books and knowledge. Their conversations are described as an art, a fireworks display, a feast for the mind and soul. Some would have loved to be in Jean-Philippe de Tonnac’s place during these moments of grace. Beyond his own works, he has skillfully orchestrated, collected, and published interviews with distinguished minds. With disarming humility, he depicts himself as a mere “scribe-driver,” but his role is infinitely broader. How many have been the subject of his benevolent attention? His talent, which he uses with so much modesty, has given us access to a plethora of luminous thoughts. Thanks to him, we have this amazing compendium of encapsulated intelligences in Un été chez Umberto Eco:
Here I have set myself two challenges. First, to relive and make you relive these extraordinary emotions and debates that the meeting of these two men made possible. Then to understand the attachment I felt and still feel for this man [Eco] who said he tried to reveal something of what we are by interrogating preferably the false, the error, and the stupidity. In the narrative of this long and enduring admiration, Monte Cerignone has been for me like Compostela.
His journey to Monte Cerignone, his personal Compostela, was not simply a quest for meaning but also the manifestation of a remarkable and enriching accomplishment. The author’s achievement equates to a successful literary pilgrimage: an introspective journey that enlightens and reveals as much as it interrogates and stimulates. Thus, by meeting his two challenges, he has not only triumphed, but he has also set a higher standard for those who will follow his path. But how many minds are left – on this earth – that are as brilliant as the late Umberto Eco and Jean-Claude Carrière?
Jean-Philippe de Tonnac, Un été chez Umberto Eco, Grasset, 03/05/2023, 1 vol. (200 p.), 18,50 €
