Leonardo Sciascia's laconic and precise "metaphysical mystery" The Day of the Owl (Il Giorno della Civetta, 1961) is set in unwholesome, Mafia-dominated Sicily. Captain Bellodi and Sgt. Major Ferlisi, dedicated and intelligent police officers, investigate a series of horrific crimes. Their trail leads to the local boss, Don Mariano Arena, but further searching opens the possibility that an "honorable deputy" and a cabinet minister also may be implicated. We'll never know the whole story — Bellodi is recalled to Bologna and Ferlisi transferred to Ancona, and the investigation languishes.
In Bush's America, Congressman Duke Cunningham is convicted of accepting bribes; further investigation appears to implicate "Dusty" Foggo, third in the hierarchy at the CIA. It's also possible that senior White House officials might be involved — but Carol Lam, the efficient U. S. attorney in charge of the case, is suddenly relieved of her position. The investigation languishes.
And also: Jack Abramoff is sent to jail for perjury. The trail of corruption once again appears to lead to the White House — but the prosecutor, Noel Hillman, is offered a federal judgeship and the investigation grinds to a halt.
At the end of The Day of the Owl, Captain Bellodi, though exhausted and disillusioned, resolves to return to Sicily. He will, it seems, try again. Sciascia's unhappy novel offers a small ray of hope. It seems to say that it is wrong to succumb to hopelessness and despair in the face of political abuse. A useful moral, I think.
Leave a Reply