Nino Salzone, alias Cenides
The Boy from Ellis Island
A story of emigration spanning the twentieth century
Antonino Salzone is a gynecologist from Calabria who, after various vicissitudes, has been living in Tarquinia for the past thirty years. Having retired in 2021, he has devoted himself to his literary and historical passion. He is also a skilled ceramist, working under the pseudonym “Metron”, which in Greek means balance (you can find some of his works here).
After his Greek trilogy — “Greek Myths and Beyond” (2023), translated into English and Spanish — he published “The Gods of Olympus and Beyond” (2024), a novel that recounts the tales of the gods through the voice of an old professor, and “Flutes of War. Tales of Greece and Magna Graecia” (2025), a collection of eight short stories, each set in a different city.
Today, he changes genre to write a family saga — the story of multiple events that shape the protagonist, who may very well have something in common with the author himself! In fact, the hero is his paternal grandfather and namesake, born in 1895 — and the story is almost entirely true.
The Duke of the Abruzzi at Sea, 1908
A thirteen-year-old boy from Calabria is placed aboard a steamship departing from Naples for New York. It is 1908, and he has been “entrusted” to a fellow townsman who robs him and abandons him. With only a few coins in his pocket, he must face the unknown. What he does have are a pair of striking blue eyes and an innate resilience to life’s hardships.
Providence comes to his aid in the most unexpected ways. His life is marked by a devastating earthquake, two world wars, and three crossings of the Atlantic in search of fortune. Along the way, he must also endure a disgraceful accusation.
It would be enough to destroy anyone — but not him. He finds his fortune, and with it, rediscovers the inner strength to overcome the many trials of a life that lasted ninety-nine springs.
Published by YCP, 2025, and in my opinion, truly captivating.
Lascia un commento