Umberto Eco has died in his home in Milan. He was 84 years old after having written popular intellectual thrillers such as In the Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum. Although not a Nobel Prize Winner I feel I ought to note him here. If an obscure blog can attract so many readers with his name than that indicates the scale, and depth, of his popularity, which should be recognised.
In his advice to aspiring writers he says: "Go step by step. Don't pretend immediately to win the Nobel Prize, because that kills every literary career".
