To Each His Own

By Leonardo Sciascia
Translated from the Italian by Adrienne Foulke
Introduction by W.S. Di Piero

This letter is your death sentence. To avenge what you have done you will die. But what has Manno the pharmacist done? Nothing that he can think of. The next day he and his hunting companion are both dead.The police investigation is inconclusive. However, a modest high school teacher with a literary bent has noticed a clue that, he believes, will allow him to trace the killer. Patiently, methodically, he begins to untangle a web of erotic intrigue and political calculation. But the results of his amateur sleuthing are unexpected—and tragic. To Each His Own is one of the masterworks of the great Sicilian novelist Leonardo Sciascia—a gripping and unconventional detective story that is also an anatomy of a society founded on secrets, lies, collusion, and violence.

Read the introduction (PDF)

Reviews

Perhaps the best of [recent Italian novelists] is Leonardo Sciascia . . .. His incandescent hatred of evil, his love of liberty and reason shine through his tranquil, spare prose.
— Luigi Barzini

This graceful piece of storytelling is in fact a savagely expressed cry of despair. . . . At once moving and horrifying.
— The New Yorker

[Sciascia] develops a particular kind of detective fiction where no culprit is ever found and apprehended, where no light can ever be shed, and where intrigues and corruption pervade society.
— The New York Times

What is the mafia mentality? What is the mafia? What is Sicily? When it comes to the exploration of this particular hell, Leonardo Sciascia is the perfect Virgil.
— Gore Vidal

Also see:

The Wine-Dark Sea By Leonardo Sciascia Translated from the Italian by Avril Bardoni Introduction by Albert Mobilio Sciascia examines the contradictions—sometimes comic, sometimes deadly, and sometimes both—of Sicily's turbulent history and day-to-day life.

René Leys By Victor Segalen Translated from the French by J.A. Underwood Preface by Ian Buruma This quirky tale of spiritual adventure tells of a Westerner in Peking seeking the mystery at the heart of the Forbidden City.

The Day of the Owl By Leonardo Sciascia Translated from the Italian by Archibald Colquhoun and Anthony Oliver Introduction by George Scialabba This short, beautifully paced novel is a mesmerizing description of the Mafia at work.

Equal Danger By Leonardo Sciascia Translated from the Italian by Adrienne Foulke Introduction by Carlin Romano District Attorney Varga is shot dead. Then Judge Sanza is killed. Then Judge Azar. Are these random murders, or part of a conspiracy?

The Moro Affair By Leonardo Sciascia Translated from the Italian by Sacha Rabinovitch Introduction by Peter Robb The Moro Affair presents a chilling picture of how a secretive government and a ruthless terrorist faction help to keep each other in business.

Leonardo Sciascia Collection Get all five NYRB classics by Leonardo Sciascia.

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