{"product_id":"9781784745042","title":"A Sicilian Man","description":"Author: Moorehead, Caroline\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781784745042\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: RANDOM HOUSE UK\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 03 Feb 2026\u003cbr\u003ePages: 320\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe rise of the Mafia and the story of its most vocal opponent, renowned Italian writer Leonardo Sciascia, expertly woven together by celebrated chronicler of European history Caroline Moorehead\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCorruption, 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.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1986, the largest Mafia trial in Italy's history took place in Sicily. The \u003ci\u003emaxi-processo \u003c\/i\u003esaw 471 men and 4 women take the stand, accused of kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking and many thousands of murders. Sitting in the gallery was Leonardo Sciascia, then aged sixty-five. One of the greatest European writers of the twentieth century, he had published the first Mafia novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Day of the Owl\u003c\/i\u003e, 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSciascia was born in 1921 and came of age as the Mafia grew to prominence across Sicily. Widespread poverty and hardship following the First World War meant that many Sicilians no longer recognised Rome's leadership, which had left a void for local gangsters to fill. 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eA Sicilian Man\u003c\/i\u003e, 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.\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46729865986206,"sku":"UBD-9781784745042","price":36.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781784745042.jpg?v=1776651450","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781784745042","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}