Franklin is proud to announce the publication of Professor Emeritus Robert H. McCormick Jr.'s newest book of short stories: Sono Simón Bolívar?: Sette racconti. (Am I Simón Bolívar?: Seven tales),  a collection of seven short stories that accurately depicts various  aspects of our daily lives. It all starts with simple concrete events, such as the purchase of a Swatch or a professor's sudden observation  regarding one of his students. Then they move on to broader  considerations, as in the case of the first short story, "Swatches and Time," where the narrator recounts his reflections on insomnia and time.

An older, perhaps wiser narrator narrates and reflects on various  aspects of our daily existence. Beyond his idiosyncratic conception of time, the reader finds himself sympathizing with the narrator's  aversion to noise, witnesses, with a wry smile, his multiple attempts to  grow edible plants on the balcony, and understands all too well the  frustration at the end of a long series of medical consultations. 

The narrator even tries to fathom the mysterious world of feelings aroused  by a woman he has never met.

In his effort to describe the series of events occurring in a  circumscribed neighborhood community, the narrator wonders if his lofty aspirations are not like those of Simón Bolívar toward the end of his  life. Professor McCormick is also the author of Petros (2020) and  My Greek Café: Dieci mesi nelle Cicladi (My Greek Café: Ten Months in the Cyclades) (2022)  and has lived in Lugano for many years. A graduate of the Sorbonne in  Paris, he taught French Language and Literature for six years at Harvard  University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before settling in Ticino. For  23 years, he was a Literature and Creative Writing professor at Franklin  University Switzerland.

While at FUS, Professor McCormick taught Literature and Creative  Writing courses, directed Academic Travels across four continents,  served as a Faculty Advisor to The Literary Society and as student  mentor. In addition, he organized five editions of the Caribbean Unbound  conference that explored the history, politics, art, literature,  religion, film, and music of the Caribbean and brought scholars and  literary figures to the Franklin campus. Professor McCormick retired  from Franklin University Switzerland in 2011 but remains active in the  literary world. It should be noted, in that context, that the  introduction to Professor McCormick's latest anthology was written by  the well-known Haitian author who resides in Paris, Louis-Philippe  Dalembert.

Sono Simón Bolívar?: Sette racconti will be available at Fontana Edizioni and in local bookstores, including Libreria il Segnalibro in downtown Lugano, from Tuesday, September 5. A book-signing at the FNAC in downtown Lugano during the holiday season has been scheduled for Friday, December 8.

Sono Simón Bolívar?: Sette racconti, as well as My Greek Café: Dieci mesi nelle Cicladi, are now available on Amazon/it.

All of his previous works, including Petros (2022) and Io, nelle scuole pubbliche (Me, In Public Schools) (2021), are also available on Amazon. 

The Franklin community can soon enjoy these brilliant works of literature from one of our very own authors.