A Sicilian Man

In the twentieth century, Sicily was a place where corruption, sleaze, and violence intertwined with daily life as the Mafia gained control. One man dared to stand against this tide. In 1986, Sicily hosted Italy's largest Mafia trial, known as the maxi-processo, which brought 471 men and 4 women to face charges of kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking, and numerous murders. Among the onlookers was Leonardo Sciascia, a leading European writer born in 1921, who had long been an emblem of moral integrity in Italy. In 1961, he published "The Day of the Owl," the first Mafia-themed novel, highlighting the pervasive corruption in both public and private spheres. Growing up during the Mafia's rise, Sciascia witnessed firsthand the vacuum left by Rome's governance after World War I, allowing local gangsters to thrive amid widespread poverty. He foresaw the extend of corruption and violence spreading to northern Italy, which indeed happened by the 1980s, with the Mafia deeply embedded in politics and expanding into an international enterprise. "A Sicilian Man," by award-winning historian Caroline Moorehead, explores Sciascia's life against the backdrop of the Mafia's ascension, capturing the battle for the very essence of Italy.