The Professor and the Siren

Tom Kryspin

The Professor and the Siren

The Professor and the Siren, is a short story of how two acquaintances feud over each other’s position of dominance over the other. To get there though these two must befriend each other in typical fashion. Paolo Corbera, the main character, is a man who comes from a well know family and the other character is Rosario La Ciura a Senator.  The bond the two create is stronger than any typical bond, it is the strongest bond made out of their remembrance of their country and all the things that are enjoyed in the country.

The bond begins as the Senator spots Paolo reading a paper from his home, Sicilia. Both Paolo and the Senator have strong connections to the island of Sicily. They begin to talk about Sicilia in the most descriptive of ways, “the scent of rosemary on the Nebrodi hills, the taste of Melilli honey, the waving scent of corn seen from Etna on a windy day in May, of the solitudes around Syracuse, the guests of scent from orange lemon groves poring over Palermo, it’s said, during sunsets in June” (65). Through this elaborate description the two form a bond over memories of their past and home country.  Their relationship is built off the highest of connections and that is homage to their country and the memories that surround it.