Godi Fiorenza

Another class done. Interesting, I must say.

The director of the course took us all out to dinner last night to a pizzeria. It was very nice, and I got to meet some of the other kids. Nobody played with me, but some of them did talk to me, which was nice. One in particular is doing some interesting research relevant to my own and has published some things I shall read with interest.

I had forgotten how disgustingly feudal the whole Italian academic system is. You have to be an acolyte to do anything here - the right person has to present you here and there, and if you are not presented by such-and-such, then forget it. I shall probably post again about this, in particular on how one person's work gets left out of the bibliography of another person's work, all for very arbitrary and political reasons that have nothing to do with scholarship. I am glad I don't have to do anything here. I think that I would find it a very suffocating experience.

I've got a list of s/h bookshops and am off out now to hunt. I shall post with any luck that I might have. And a bird shat on me today, so that's good luck. Isn't it?