That Elusive Fountain of Wisdom: A Tale of the Human Thirst for Knowledge
This tale follows fictitious characters as they journey in search of wisdom and the fulfillment of their objectives. Set mainly in the fascinating university town of Leuven, Belgium, it revolves around the personal, social, political and academic aspirations of visiting scholars in the town. Richard Gutierrez from the USA needs to get tenure at his university. Jennifer Sydney from England is determined to advance her career. Aisling O’Shea and her six-year old son Philip from Ireland have different expectations of their trip. Piotr Malachowski wants to understand a life rooted in the bitter experiences of the internment camp of Majdanek in Poland. The nationalistic Fr Miguel Fuentes from the Philippines wonders what he can learn from a Western university to deal with the challenges in his country. What starts out as an academic sojourn for these individuals becomes a life-changing experience as their paths cross in Leuven and they learn about each other and themselves and about life itself.
M. F. Sia is a recently-retired Assistant Principal who taught English Literature at Terenure College. Dublin, Ireland. S. Sia retired as Professor and Dean of Philosophy at the Milltown Institute of the National University of Ireland, and was previously Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University, LA, for several years. They have co-authored a number of scholarly books, journal articles and conference papers.
"[T]his novel is a literary success. [...] At no point of the work did I feel that the philosopher in Sia is being too intrusive into the narrative. Some philosophical talks are, of course, indispensable inasmuch as some of the novel’s characters are into the study of philosophy. Thankfully, however, all conversations are accessible even to non-philosophical readers. Indeed ... the reader will most likely sympathize with the authors’ dilemma that revolves around life and scholarship."
Romualdo Abulad, SVD Christ the King Mission Seminary, Quezon City, Philippines D I W A Studies in Philosophy and Theology, 41:1&2 (2016)
"How good it is to see professors break out of the established forms of academic discourse and say it in story! It is a good story, too. There is much strong narrative art in the novel; character and incident are well developed. We look forward to their next novel!"
Professor William Beardslee
Creative Transformation
"… an engaging novel. Its entertainment value is high. So I do not hesitate to recommend it to persons interested only in a good read. But in addition to its entertainment value, this novel has the philosophical and theological values of engaging the problems in a way that is explicit and clear."
Professor Theodore Walker Jr. Process Studies
"I cannot think of a more worthwhile gift to give to the philosophy students of Leuven, both present and past, than this book."
Professor Emeritus of Philosophy André Cloots Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
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