

Fraternal heretics
My ailing plumber resides in one of Dante’s less agreeable “new normal” cellars. He is desperately ill with liver cancer [...]

Ash to ash
In the years before his death earlier this year at the age of 89, my erudite brother had turned away [...]

On a stalled planet
One friend, an influential member of European mass media, bemoans the disappearance of what he calls “fluidity.” Another, far younger [...]

Sogni d’oro
In a dream, I kissed a woman. Not once or twice or as part of a seduction but as a [...]



The hot breasts of yesteryear
Here was the problem, I explained to the technician some forty years ago. My Rome apartment, a delight in every [...]

Wiring up the plot
My favorite COVID conspiracy theory comes from my electrician, Carlo, who was here the other day patching up some rogue [...]

Of knives and fire
Some memories seem not to belong to one’s own life, but rather as details from a youth spent on some [...]

Make room for Yuri
Our Solar System was the only one with a planet named Yuri. This important piece of information emerged from Mrs. [...]