Philurius College Blues

"...Ray Carson Russell mixes the poignant with the preposterous and shines a sharp light on the absurdities of academia."

--Douglas Light, author of Where Night Stops

Dr. Vic Sawyer, the newly appointed director of Academic Affairs for the Philurius College Programs for the Military in Europe, encounters a nemesis of the highest order in the persona of his dean, retired lieutenant colonel Gio Malfatto. Malfatto, aided by the alluring and ambitious Assistant Dean Doris Kink, intends to make Vic's life miserable. Unfortunately for the two puppet masters, Vic joins the fray with abandon, and the normally staid college is embroiled in the ensuing battle, which fosters surprising alliances and strange bedfellows. Philurius College Blues explores a clash of cultures between an American academic subculture and a US military environment in Germany, and throws in some true love and indiscriminate erotic intrigue to boot. For those whose lives have touched this educational system, both military students and faculty, this satirical tale will bring both laughter and some head shaking, and perhaps a tear or two.

In his native Tuscumbia, Alabama, Ray Carson Russell learned early to confront and ameliorate problems with humor and to stand on principle regardless of the consequences. The former has served him well; the latter sometimes not, but both have enlivened his writing. He has worked in Germany as lecturer and administrator for American colleges and universities associated with the US military. Ray is also a translator, trumpeter and actor. Leading study tours and speaking on cruise ships, he has traveled in fifty-six countries, including as a National Geographic historian. His academic essays have appeared in the Journal for Peace & Justice Studies, the Atlantic Quarterly, et al, and his culture and travel writing in various magazines and internet sites.