A deep and devastating account of the assassination of Italy's top
two anti-Mafia prosecutors. When magistrates Giovanni Falcone and
Paolo Borsellino were murdered by the Sicilian Cosa Nostra in 1992,
citizens of Palermo rioted, the stock market crashed, and top
government officials (including Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti and
Socialist leader Bettino Craxi) stepped down in disgrace. Falcone
and Borsellino, the leading members of Palermo's anti-Mafia pool of
investigating prosecutors, had captivated the nation as architects
of the so-called "maxi-trial" of 475 alleged mobsters in a
stadium-size bunker built exclusively for the purpose. Palermo's
maxi-trial revealed to the world the feudalistic hierarchy of the
Cosa Nostra, the growth of the heroin trade worldwide, and, most
shockingly, the Italian government's outright collusion with Mafia
families, especially with the ferocious Corleonese clan. Stille
(Benevolence and Betrayal, 1992, not reviewed) brilliantly tells
two parallel stories here. One is the story of Falcone's and
Borsellino's unprecedented rapport with Mafia "men of honor," from
gunrunners to chieftains such as Tommaso Buscetta, who broke the
code of omertd (silence) to talk directly to the incorruptible and
indefatigable prosecutors. The other stoW is the account of how
members of the Italian government at every level sought to
undermine the prosecutors' work: dismantling the anti-Mafia pool,
sabotaging their careers, sending anonymous threatening letters,
and even planting a bomb at Falcone's beach house. (The author
considers the widely reported rumor that Andreotti's Christian
Democratic government may have had a hand in the Mafia's murder of
Falcone and Borsellino, but he decides that "no concrete evidence"
substantiates it.) Stille is especially adept at what he calls the
"semiotics" of Cosa Nostra life, subjecting the merest gestures and
signs to rigorous interpretation. A remarkable work, at once a rich
analysis of Italian culture and politics, a real-life
conspiracy-theory thriller, and a psychological portrait of two
bona fide heroes. (Kirkus Reviews)
Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino set out to destroy the Mafia. In 1992, aware that the magistrates didn't have the support of the Italian government, the Mafia assassinated them. The public outcry demanded their work was completed, which led to the toppling of crucial political alliances.
General
Imprint: |
Vintage
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
June 1996 |
First published: |
June 1996 |
Authors: |
Alexander Stille
|
Dimensions: |
198 x 129 x 28mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - B-format
|
Pages: |
480 |
Edition: |
New Ed |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-09-959491-8 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
True stories >
Crime
|
LSN: |
0-09-959491-9 |
Barcode: |
9780099594918 |
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