'As much a history of the deeply crooked culture of Italian politics as it is a vivid biography of one man' SUNDAY TIMES
'Fascinating' SPECTATOR
'Vivid and disturbing but utterly compelling' DAILY MAIL
Corruption, sleaze and violence were woven into the fabric of twentieth-century Sicilian life, as the Mafia rose to dominance. This is the story of one man who stood in opposition.
In 1986, the largest Mafia trial in Italy's history took place in Sicily: 471 men and 4 women took the stand, accused of horrific crimes. Sitting in the gallery was Leonardo Sciascia. One of the greatest European writers of the twentieth century, he had published the first Mafia novel, The Day of the Owl, in 1961, and was widely seen by Italians as a true moral figure in a country where corruption had seeped into every corner of public and private life.
Sciascia had come of age as the Mafia grew to prominence across Sicily. Witnessing the scale of corruption and violence, Sciascia predicted it would soon spread north, and he was right: by the 1980s, the Mafia had infiltrated every level of Italian politics and grown into an international, highly successful business.
In A Sicilian Man, prize-winning historian and biographer Caroline Moorehead charts Sciascia's life against the rise of the Mafia, and lays out the thrilling and devastating struggle that ensued for Italy's soul.
'Magnificent and deeply affecting' PHILIP HENSHER
'Vivid and knowledgeable... This feels like the book [Moorehead] was destined to write' LUCY HUGHES-HALLETT
| ISBN: | 9781784745035 |
| Publication date: | 5th February 2026 |
| Author: | Caroline Moorehead |
| Publisher: | Chatto & Windus an imprint of Random House |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 304 pages |
| Genres: |
Biography: historical, political and military Organized crime Social and cultural history Reportage, journalism or collected columns Society and culture: general |
'As much a history of the deeply crooked culture of Italian politics as it is a vivid biography of one man' SUNDAY TIMES
'Fascinating' SPECTATOR
'Vivid and disturbing but utterly compelling' DAILY MAIL
Corruption, sleaze and violence were woven into the fabric of twentieth-century Sicilian life, as the Mafia rose to dominance. This is the story of one man who stood in opposition.
In 1986, the largest Mafia trial in Italy's history took place in Sicily: 471 men and 4 women took the stand, accused of horrific crimes. Sitting in the gallery was Leonardo Sciascia. One of the greatest European writers of the twentieth century, he had published the first Mafia novel, The Day of the Owl, in 1961, and was widely seen by Italians as a true moral figure in a country where corruption had seeped into every corner of public and private life.
Sciascia had come of age as the Mafia grew to prominence across Sicily. Witnessing the scale of corruption and violence, Sciascia predicted it would soon spread north, and he was right: by the 1980s, the Mafia had infiltrated every level of Italian politics and grown into an international, highly successful business.
In A Sicilian Man, prize-winning historian and biographer Caroline Moorehead charts Sciascia's life against the rise of the Mafia, and lays out the thrilling and devastating struggle that ensued for Italy's soul.
'Magnificent and deeply affecting' PHILIP HENSHER
'Vivid and knowledgeable... This feels like the book [Moorehead] was destined to write' LUCY HUGHES-HALLETT
A Sicilian Man features in the following genres: Biography: historical, political and military, Organized crime, Social and cultural history, Reportage, journalism or collected columns, Society and culture: general
A Sicilian Man is available in Hardback
A Sicilian Man was written by Caroline Moorehead and published by Chatto & Windus an imprint of Random House
A Sicilian Man has 304 pages
£22.50