Summary

“Black Corfu” is set in Korčula, an island in the Adriatic Sea that is today part of Croatia, in 1620. The protagonist, a nameless “doctor” (147) has recently had his reputation besmirched by rumors of misconduct, and he is attempting to reassure his wife that they are unfounded. His daughter asks if he will go to prison, and he assures her he will not, though he knows it is a possibility. The doctor always dreamed of being an esteemed medical practitioner and saving lives. But because he is dark-skinned, his only option was to become a “Posthumous Surgeon” (150). Korčula has been besieged by reanimated corpses. It is the doctor's duty to sever the hamstring of every dead person in order to ensure they cannot rise. He aspires to greater things, to perhaps “impress the Council of Ten” (153), the Venetian committee that rules the...