Central Connecticut State University Philosophy Professor A. Pablo Iannone has won a prestigious American literary prize—the  2007 Independent Publisher Book Award for Multicultural Fiction. His book, The Room with Closets, a critically acclaimed volume of short stories published by Vagabond Press,  competed against some 2,690 entries from all 50 states and 19 nations.  The Silver Medal was presented to Iannone at a ceremony in New York on June 1, 2007. 

The book of interconnected stories (amounting to a novella) was published in English last year. The work of fiction may appear removed from Iannone’s scholarly academic writings; but actually it encompasses a convergence between literature and philosophy. “Having given the book 23 years to germinate and grow, it ceased to be simply about the expatriate experience. It is about love, politics, personal identity, and the structure of the universe,” he reflects.

            A. Pablo Iannone has lived and traveled between two unique cultures on two different continents and experienced life under both democratic and totalitarian regimes.  His fascinating book of short stories is based on such experiences. The Midwest Book Review stated that The Room with Closets is “an unforgettable portrait of human struggle, survival, and wry insight.”

The stories offer a wide range of characters, and the tales travel the literary landscape from grim political reality to joyous flights of fantasy and humor.  For example, Margarita experiences comical reminders of death greeting her on the first morning of her honeymoon. The Spanish shepherd, Ramón Reyes, changes identities in order to sail to the New World. Three diverse Argentines suffer the nightmare of trying to obtain a passport from a fascist government. There is the room with closets, and its locked door that mysteriously opens by itself.

Dr. Iannone has taught philosophy at CCSU since 1983. He has published nine books including Philosophy as Diplomacy and Dictionary of World Philosophy.  He holds a master’s and Ph.D. in philosophy with a minor in history of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He is a resident of Cheshire.

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