William Farina
Encyclopedia
William Edward Farina is an American essayist and writer of popular non-fiction.
. He attended Valparaiso University
on a baseball athletic scholarship and received his bachelor’s degree with a double major in English and Philosophy in 1978, then a law degree from the same institution in 1981. That same year he became a member of the Illinois bar and moved to Chicago
.
Since 1979, he has enjoyed a successful career as a real estate analyst and consultant. The grandson of Sicilian immigrants on his father’s side, Farina is also a Mayflower
descendant from his mother’s family. Broad contrasts in ethnic and cultural identities characterize his work. Farina participated as a volunteer for the 2008 election campaign in his native state of Indiana
. Soon after this, in 2009, he and his wife Marion Buckley moved to Wisconsin
, where they live today.
Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature. His second book, Ulysses S. Grant, 1861-1864: His Rise from Obscurity to Military Greatness, released in 2007, covers the early Civil War
career of Grant
from the perspective of Farina’s maternal ancestors, all of whom fought for the Confederacy
.
Farina’s third work, Perpetua of Carthage: Portrait of a Third-Century Martyr (2008), was written to commemorate the centennial 1907 discovery for the Carthage tombs of SS. Perpetua, Felicity, and their companions, all martyred in 203 A.D. In 2007, Farina traveled to Carthage
(including the famous Bardo Museum
) in modern day, pre-revolutionary Tunisia
, where three years later a lone act of suicide protest in Sidi Bouzid would unleash a wave of political unrest across the entire Islamic world.
His fourth book, Chrétien de Troyes and the Dawn of Arthurian Romance (2010), explores the central role of the great medieval French poet in shaping modern perceptions of the King Arthur
legends. In conjunction with this project, Farina attended the 22nd triennial conference of the International Arthurian Society, held at the University of Rennes in Brittany
, France
, during the summer of 2008.
Farina’s fifth work on the seminal American non-fiction writer and novelist Eliot Asinof
(1919–2008), is scheduled for release by McFarland in late 2011.
Ulysses S. Grant, 1861-1864: His Rise from Obscurity to Military Greatness (2007)
Perpetua of Carthage: Portrait of a Third-Century Martyr (2008)
Chrétien de Troyes and the Dawn of Arthurian Romance (2010)
Eliot Asinof and the Truth of the Game: A Critical Study of the Baseball Writings (2011)
“While Chrétien’s immediate contemporaries and continuators, along with his predecessors Geoffrey and Wace, first supplied or rendered the bulk of data that permanently manifested itself through various strands of the tradition, it was Chrétien who, nearly single-handedly, supplied something much more crucial. It was he who first injected the spirit of courtly love and romantic chivalry into what had previously been little more than a warrior myth.” (Chrétien de Troyes and the Dawn of Arthurian Romance)
Biography
Farina was born, reared and educated in LaPorte, IndianaLaPorte, Indiana
La Porte is a city in La Porte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was 22,053 at the 2010 census. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the...
. He attended Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a regionally accredited private university located in the city of Valparaiso in the U.S. state of Indiana. Founded in 1859, it consists of five undergraduate colleges, a graduate school, a nursing school and a law school...
on a baseball athletic scholarship and received his bachelor’s degree with a double major in English and Philosophy in 1978, then a law degree from the same institution in 1981. That same year he became a member of the Illinois bar and moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Since 1979, he has enjoyed a successful career as a real estate analyst and consultant. The grandson of Sicilian immigrants on his father’s side, Farina is also a Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
descendant from his mother’s family. Broad contrasts in ethnic and cultural identities characterize his work. Farina participated as a volunteer for the 2008 election campaign in his native state of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. Soon after this, in 2009, he and his wife Marion Buckley moved to Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, where they live today.
Career
Dismayed by the results of the 2004 elections, Farina resolved to devote spare time to the field of education. Foremost among his activities has been a projected series of short books on various scholarly topics, written from a layman’s perspective. Farina’s first collection, titled De Vere as Shakespeare: An Oxfordian Reading of the Canon (McFarland & Company, 2006) addresses the Shakespeare authorship question. It won the 2007 Award for Scholarly Excellence presented by the Shakespeare Authorship Studies Conference of Concordia University-Portland, and recently earned praise in Washington State University’sWashington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature. His second book, Ulysses S. Grant, 1861-1864: His Rise from Obscurity to Military Greatness, released in 2007, covers the early Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
career of Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
from the perspective of Farina’s maternal ancestors, all of whom fought for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
.
Farina’s third work, Perpetua of Carthage: Portrait of a Third-Century Martyr (2008), was written to commemorate the centennial 1907 discovery for the Carthage tombs of SS. Perpetua, Felicity, and their companions, all martyred in 203 A.D. In 2007, Farina traveled to Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
(including the famous Bardo Museum
Bardo Museum
The Bardo National Museum is a museum located in Tunis, Tunisia.-Location:...
) in modern day, pre-revolutionary Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, where three years later a lone act of suicide protest in Sidi Bouzid would unleash a wave of political unrest across the entire Islamic world.
His fourth book, Chrétien de Troyes and the Dawn of Arthurian Romance (2010), explores the central role of the great medieval French poet in shaping modern perceptions of the King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
legends. In conjunction with this project, Farina attended the 22nd triennial conference of the International Arthurian Society, held at the University of Rennes in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, during the summer of 2008.
Farina’s fifth work on the seminal American non-fiction writer and novelist Eliot Asinof
Eliot Asinof
Eliot Asinof was an American writer of fiction and nonfiction best known for his writing about baseball. His most famous book was Eight Men Out, a nonfiction reconstruction of the 1919 Black Sox scandal.-Biography:...
(1919–2008), is scheduled for release by McFarland in late 2011.
Works
De Vere as Shakespeare: An Oxfordian Reading of the Canon (2006)Ulysses S. Grant, 1861-1864: His Rise from Obscurity to Military Greatness (2007)
Perpetua of Carthage: Portrait of a Third-Century Martyr (2008)
Chrétien de Troyes and the Dawn of Arthurian Romance (2010)
Eliot Asinof and the Truth of the Game: A Critical Study of the Baseball Writings (2011)
Quotes
"A more enlightened view is that Grant’s many faults underscore the profundity of his greatness. It also points the way to a better understanding of other American heroes, who were perhaps not as flawless as they are often made out to be by mythmakers posing as educators." (Ulysses S. Grant, 1861-1864)“While Chrétien’s immediate contemporaries and continuators, along with his predecessors Geoffrey and Wace, first supplied or rendered the bulk of data that permanently manifested itself through various strands of the tradition, it was Chrétien who, nearly single-handedly, supplied something much more crucial. It was he who first injected the spirit of courtly love and romantic chivalry into what had previously been little more than a warrior myth.” (Chrétien de Troyes and the Dawn of Arthurian Romance)