The Sacco Gang - Softcover

Camilleri, Andrea

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1609454235 ISBN 13: 9781609454234

Publisher: Europa Editions, 2018

Synopsis

Based on a true story, a “wild west” tale of two brothers who battle both the State and a Mafia empire in 1920s Italy.

Raffadali, province of Agrigento, 1920s. The Sacco brothers are free men with strong ideas about socialism and the State. Their lives change radically one morning when their father, Luigi Sacco, receives an anonymous letter from the local Mafia demanding protection money. Luigi tells the police of the extortion letters, but the police don’t know what to do: no one in the village has ever dared denounce the Mafia before. From that moment on, the Sacco brothers must defend themselves: from the Mafia and the forces of order, from their collaborators, from traitors, and from the village’s leaders, as they are assailed by murder attempts, false accusations, and false testimony.

The Sacco Gang is not only a gripping Italian “western,” but an indictment of the Mafia’s influence and the devastation it wreaks in people’s lives.

About this title

About the Author

Stephen Sartarelli is a contemporary poet and prize-winning translator. He has written three books of poetry and translated over forty works of fiction and poetry, focusing on French and Italian.

Andrea Camilleri is widely considered to be one of the greatest living Italian writers. His Montalbano crime series, each installment of which is a bestseller in Italy, is published in America by Penguin Random House. Several books in the series have been New York Times bestsellers. His literary honors include the Nino Martoglio International Book award. Born in Sicily, Camilleri currently lives in Rome.

Review

Praise for The Sacco Gang
“His latest nonfiction volume, The Sacco Gang, finds him digging through the cold coals of a real-life case from the early 20th century, a twisted morality tale worthy of the wild west.” ―The Observer
“This is a riveting story of how organized crime, political corruption, and judicial duplicity can oppress freedom.”―Publishers Weekly

“If history is the story of the winners and the powerful, it’s not only the fault of historians; the fact is that the traces of the past with which they work―’documents’―are left by those arranging for their own posterity . . . Camilleri rebels against this fiction, creating another, more refined and luminous one.” ―La Repubblica

Praise for Andrea Camilleri

“The novels of Andrea Camilleri breathe out the sense of place, the sense of humor, and the sense of despair that fills the air of Sicily.”
―Donna Leon, author of the Guido Brunetti series

“The idiosyncratic Montalbano is totally endearing.”
―The New York Times

“Camilleri is as crafty and charming a writer as his protagonist is an investigator.”
―The Washington Post Book World

Praise for The Revolution of the Moon

“A tragicomic parable of justice...Camilleri laces this true tale of exemplary leadership with humor.”
―Kirkus Reviews

“Bestselling and award-winning Italian author Camilleri (the Inspector Montalbano series) offers a marvelous historical drama based on a true but little-known episode of 17th-century Sicilian history.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Andrea Camilleri’s The Revolution of the Moon beats the odds, rendering a fascinating story built on a true historical moment and managing to sell me a political novel in a time when I’m the least likely to read anything political.”
―Words Without Borders

"[Camilleri] presents us here with a historical novel encompassing his skills as a researcher combined with the masterful ability to wring not only meaning from a story but fun, too. His sly, wry approach to matters of morality, politics, crime and sexual dynamics seasons a stew of facts and fiction to perfection."
―Eric Boss, Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association

“Eleonora, a woman forgotten by history, will come alive to the reader. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to discover a remarkable, forgotten woman.”
―The Historical Novels Review

“Camilleri is back! This time with a novel that is entertaining, moving, and written in his hallmark and hypnotizing mix of Sicilian dialect and standard Italian...The Revolution of the Moon is, above all, an homage to women. Doņa Eleonora is both courageous and fiercely determined. More than a book, this is another jewel from Andrea Camilleri placed in a historical setting that feels tragically similar to our own.”
―Wake Up News(Italy)

“Suspense, surprises, and courtly intrigues abound in this story of power that also doubles as a tribute to women and their sensibilities.”
―Panorama (Italy)

About this edition

• Publisher: Europa Editions
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1609454235
• ISBN 13: 9781609454234
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128