With each passing month in Milano,
the conflicts between Professor Gianmartino D’Auria and his colleagues had become more frequent and more strident.
Some old friends had become new enemies. Many who praised his work in the past had become ritual antagonists.
In fact, he had few remaining supporters there, and even those who acknowledged the excellence of his writing,
usually felt obliged to add some form of disclaimer to their praise.
Not a single colleague in his department at the university had a neutral opinion.
He dreaded the possibility of meeting one of them at a restaurant or while he was shopping
for a shirt, a jacket, or just a new necktie.