Words, words, words : la vendetta in parole

At times, in Sciascia's judicial-detective novels, there are characters who oppose an overwhelming and unchangeable power structure and take on the role of vigilantes. Their actions, driven by impulse, despair or an ill founded plan, never change the situation: however, it is in their defeat that they acquire value as a positive testimony. In Sciascia's view, justice cannot win; however, there is a certain demystifying, clear and stubborn insistence that, at times, pushes the investigation to erode the very consistency of reality. This paper was presented at the 12th Leonardo Sciascia Colloquium held in Rome on the 7th and 8th of October 2021. [Publisher's text]