The Knight and Death
 First edition | |
| Author | Leonardo Sciascia |
|---|---|
| Original title | Il cavaliere la morte |
| Cover artist | Albrecht Dürer - Knight, Death and the Devil |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
| Publisher | Adelphi Edizioni |
Publication date | 1988 |
Published in English | 2003 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 160 pp (English edition, softcover) |
| ISBN | 1-86207-579-4 |
| Preceded by | Open Doors |
| Followed by | The Mystery of Majorana |
The Knight and Death (Italian: Il cavaliere la morte) is a crime novel by Leonardo Sciascia, published in 1988.
Plot
The protagonist of the novel is a cultured and tenacious detective affected by a deadly disease (which is clearly a cancer, although it is never openly stated).
The detective, whose name we never learn (he is simply called "il Vice", as "the Vice Chief of Police") investigates the murder of lawyer Sandoz. His chief believes that Sandoz has been killed by a mysterious revolutionary group, but the detective is convinced that powerful businessman Aurispa is involved in the crime, and that the phoney revolutionary group has been invented ad hoc as a scapegoat to cover up the real reasons behind the murder.
The novel is permeated by a sense of impending death, as the increasingly ill and tired "Vice" tries to unravel the mystery.
Significance of title
The title is a reference to the engraving Knight, Death, and the Devil by Albrecht Dürer, often observed by the "Vice" as he thinks about his imminent death.