World-famous Italian semiotic, philosopher and writer Umberto Eco will be in Tartu on the 6^th of May to receive the title of honorary-doctor from Tartu University before participating to a meeting with students and scientist of the semiotic-department.

During the 7th of May Eco will then hold a public lecture in Tartu University library as the guest of honor of the literature-festival Prima Vista.

Last part of his visit to Estonia will take place in Tallinn, where Umberto Eco will participate to a seminar to be held in Tallinn University by the cultural theory research-center.

Literature-festival Prima Vista has grown out of the public book fair “Utlib Market” organized by Tartu University Library for the first time back in the spring of 2002. The festival was first time conducted under the name of Prima Vista in 2004 and after that it has gained more and more popularity each year. In the beginning of 2005 it was coroneted for the first time with Tartu`s annual award “Cultural Event of the Year 2004“

Every year the festival has a different patron and a center topic – this year spokesperson will be Andres Ehin, famous Estonian poet and a translator.

The central theme of the event will be “A page from the past, a page from the future” with the attention focused on the diaries, biographies and memoires – a genre where the cultural-story is told from a very personal-subjective point of view.Through past a glance is cast also to the future by speculating over the general impact of these memory books on the future literature.

This years festival takes place in Tartu from 7^th to 9^th of May while on the 10^th of May it will travel to Viljandi as the last day of the festival is traditionally being held in some other city besides Tartu