Milo Manara

The book presents an extensive selection of the works on display and reconstructs the imaginative universes that informed Manara’s creations – artistic references and worlds often overlapping with those cherished by Franco Maria Ricci. From the Borges-inspired concept of the endless, labyrinthine universe/library, to Manara’s reworking of some of Piranesi’s creations; from reflections on the nature of stories, dreams, reality and fiction, to the maze in myths and legends. The book also features a focus on The Name of the Rose, which, as Eco himself acknowledged, was written with the intention of publishing it with Franco Maria Ricci’s publishing house. Manara’s graphic adaptation of the novel charts a visual journey through the clues and mysteries of the labyrinth, bringing his visual art into dialogue with Eco’s complex text. Plates, illustrations and preparatory sketches are accompanied by a text by Pietro Mercogliano, which reveals the artistic research and inspirations of the author who transformed Italian comics.