The Professor and the Siren

┬╖ New York Review of Books
рдИ-рдкреБрд╕реНрддрдХ
104
рдкреЗрдЬ
рдкрд╛рддреНрд░

рдпрд╛ рдИ-рдкреБрд╕реНрддрдХрд╛рд╡рд┐рд╖рдпреА

An NYRB Classics Original

In the last two years of his life, the Sicilian aristocrat Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa wrote not only the internationally celebrated novel┬аThe Leopard┬аbut also three shorter pieces of fiction, brought together here in a new translation.

тАЬThe Professor and the Siren,тАЭ like┬аThe Leopard, meditates on the past and the passage of time, and also on the relationship between erotic love and learning. Professor La Ciura is one of the worldтАЩs most distinguished Hellenists; his knowledge, however, came at the cost of a loss that has haunted him for his entire life. This LampedusaтАЩs final masterpiece, is accompanied here by the parable тАЬJoy and the LawтАЭ and тАЬThe Blind Kittens,тАЭ a story originally conceived as the first chapter of a followup to┬аThe Leopard.

рд▓реЗрдЦрдХрд╛рд╡рд┐рд╖рдпреА

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (1896тАУ1957) was a Sicilian nobleman, the Duke of Palma, and the last Prince of Lampedusa. He was born in Palermo to an aristocratic family whose fortunes began to decline in the 1800s with the passage of laws breaking up large Sicilian estates. Lampedusa served as an Italian artillery officer during World War I and was captured by the Austrians and held briefly in a prison camp in Hungary. He remained in the Italian military until 1921 and spent the interwar years traveling through Europe and attempting to restore the family estate. During World War II , the Tomasi palace in Palermo was bombed and looted by Allied troops. In the last two years of his life, Lampedusa began writing and produced his great historical novel Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), as well as several short literary works, none of which were published during his lifetime. Two years after LampedusaтАЩs death, The Leopard won the Strega Prize and became a worldwide best seller.


Stephen Twilley is the managing editor of Public Culture and Public Books. His translations from the Italian include Francesco PacificoтАЩs The Story of My Purity and Marina ManderтАЩs The First True Lie.


Marina WarnerтАЩs studies of religion, mythology, and fairy tales include Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary, From the Beast to the Blonde, and No Go the Bogeyman. In 2013 she co-edited ScheherazadeтАЩs Children: Global Encounters with the Arabian Nights. A Fellow of the British Academy, she is also a professor in the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex.

рдпрд╛ рдИ-рдкреБрд╕реНрддрдХрд▓рд╛ рд░реЗрдЯрд┐рдВрдЧ рджреНрдпрд╛

рддреБрдореНрд╣рд╛рд▓рд╛ рдХрд╛рдп рд╡рд╛рдЯрддреЗ рддреЗ рдЖрдореНрд╣рд╛рд▓рд╛ рд╕рд╛рдВрдЧрд╛.

рд╡рд╛рдЪрди рдорд╛рд╣рд┐рддреА

рд╕реНрдорд╛рд░реНрдЯрдлреЛрди рдЖрдгрд┐ рдЯреЕрдмрд▓реЗрдЯ
Android рдЖрдгрд┐ iPad/iPhone рд╕рд╛рдареА Google Play рдмреБрдХ рдЕтАНреЕрдк рдЗрдВрд╕реНтАНрдЯреЙрд▓ рдХрд░рд╛. рд╣реЗ рддреБрдордЪреНтАНрдпрд╛ рдЦрд╛рддреНтАНрдпрд╛рдиреЗ рдЖрдкреЛрдЖрдк рд╕рд┐рдВрдХ рд╣реЛрддреЗ рдЖрдгрд┐ рддреБрдореНтАНрд╣реА рдЬреЗрдереЗ рдХреБрдареЗ рдЕрд╕рд╛рд▓ рддреЗрдереВрди рддреБрдореНтАНрд╣рд╛рд▓рд╛ рдСрдирд▓рд╛рдЗрди рдХрд┐рдВрд╡рд╛ рдСрдлрд▓рд╛рдЗрди рд╡рд╛рдЪрдгреНтАНрдпрд╛рдЪреА рдЕрдиреБрдорддреА рджреЗрддреЗ.
рд▓реЕрдкрдЯреЙрдк рдЖрдгрд┐ рдХреЙрдВрдкреНрдпреБрдЯрд░
рддреБрдореНрд╣реА рддреБрдордЪреНрдпрд╛ рдХрд╛рдБрдкреНрдпреБрдЯрд░рдЪрд╛ рд╡реЗрдм рдмреНрд░рд╛рдЙрдЭрд░ рд╡рд╛рдкрд░реВрди Google Play рд╡рд░ рдЦрд░реЗрджреА рдХреЗрд▓реЗрд▓реА рдСрдбрд┐рдУрдмреБрдХ рдРрдХреВ рд╢рдХрддрд╛.
рдИрд╡рд╛рдЪрдХ рдЖрдгрд┐ рдЗрддрд░ рдбрд┐рд╡реНрд╣рд╛рдЗрд╕реЗрд╕
Kobo eReaders рд╕рд╛рд░рдЦреНрдпрд╛ рдИ-рдЗрдВрдХ рдбрд┐рд╡реНтАНрд╣рд╛рдЗрд╕рд╡рд░ рд╡рд╛рдЪрдгреНтАНрдпрд╛рд╕рд╛рдареА, рддреБрдореНрд╣реА рдПрдЦрд╛рджреА рдлрд╛рдЗрд▓ рдбрд╛рдЙрдирд▓реЛрдб рдХрд░реВрди рддреА рддреБрдордЪреНтАНрдпрд╛ рдбрд┐рд╡реНтАНрд╣рд╛рдЗрд╕рд╡рд░ рдЯреНрд░рд╛рдиреНрд╕рдлрд░ рдХрд░рдгреЗ рдЖрд╡рд╢реНрдпрдХ рдЖрд╣реЗ. рд╕рдкреЛрд░реНрдЯ рдЕрд╕рд▓реЗрд▓реНрдпрд╛ eReaders рд╡рд░ рдлрд╛рдЗрд▓ рдЯреНрд░рд╛рдиреНрд╕рдлрд░ рдХрд░рдгреНрдпрд╛рд╕рд╛рдареА, рдорджрдд рдХреЗрдВрджреНрд░ рдордзреАрд▓ рддрдкрд╢реАрд▓рд╡рд╛рд░ рд╕реВрдЪрдирд╛ рдлреЙрд▓реЛ рдХрд░рд╛.