[Book review] The ring metaphor and the spirit of Sofia and other essays

Abstract

The author, an architect, engineer, diplomat and a resident academic at the Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta, was Malta’s ambassador to the Republic of Bulgaria (2014 – 2019) prior being appointed Malta’s ambassador to Romania and to the Republic of Moldova. It is clear from the title, The Ring Metaphor and the Spirit of Sofia and other essays, that the book is not aimed at the fellowship of professional architects. This does not mean, however, that it is of no interest to them. Indeed, it may well serve to stimulate some to further research. But it is primarily aimed at the erudite reader. In this book Bianco, believing that religion should be open to inquiry, relates architecture with the artistic mien and religious attitudes in existential qualities. It is a book that shows his multi-disciplinary interests. In these learned and cultured six essays Bianco associates mental and symbolical features with contextual relevance relating to history and architecture. Stylistically he resorts to figurative interpretation so that some of his major arguments contain clear tropes and symbolical aspects to relate figurative language with context. In Bianco’s mind style we can perceive the unity of thought and action in Hegelian manner.