How to Travel with a Salmon by Umberto Eco

"Honey, don't forget to pack your salmon for work!"

Now this is how you write an effective comedic short-story! Umberto Eco has always been one of those intimidating authors for me but this delightfully absurd tale was quite accessible and hilarious from start to finish. Shorter in length than most short-stories, this is a lightning-quick read and never skips a beat. To give you an idea of the kind of zany humor you will encounter here, the opening sentence sets the tone for Eco's off-beat humor and acerbic wit: "According to the newspapers, there are two chief problems that beset the modern world: the invasion of the computer, and the alarming extension of the Third World. The newspapers are right, and I know it." Or, how about: "I asked for a lawyer, and they brought me an avocado." Even without context, these lines are funny to me.

In the hands of a less adept writer, this whimsical story would be doomed to fail. The protagonist is an author visiting Sweden and encounters all sorts of tomfoolery and miscommunication with hotel staff after storing a recently purchased salmon in his hotel room's mini-fridge. Yet, despite the absurdity of this premise, there is a cohesive logic to the comedic narrative. Profoundly entertaining, Eco's wry humor and intellectual playfulness emphasize the absurdities of life inherent in the human experience.

You can read this story HERE.