A question of dignity
A question of dignity ( Italian : La regola dell'equilibrio ) is a judicial thriller by the Italian writer Gianrico Carofiglio from 2014, published by Einaudi , Turin. It is the fifth volume in the series about the Bari- based lawyer Guido Guerrieri. The German translation by Viktoria von Schirach was published by Goldmann in 2016 .
content
action
The book starts with a successful defense by Guido Guerrieri, using the knowledge that the private detective Annapaola Doria obtained for him under unexplained circumstances. Shortly afterwards, the respected chairman of the court of appeal , Pierluigi Larocca , visits him . He has learned that an arrested Mafiosi has called him a bribe and that the public prosecutor has started an investigation against him. He suspects her of revenge because he has overturned many ill-founded judgments, with the Supreme Court almost always following him in its assessment. Guerrieri again instructs Annapaola to gain knowledge about the affected Mafiosi. As they work together, they both get caught up in a brawl with youngsters, which they win.
On a Saturday, Guerrieri attends a lecture by Larocca on ethics and morals in the judicial system to tell him about the findings. During the preliminary hearing, while the Guerrieri cross- examines the Mafiosi Capodacqua , he succeeds in delegitimizing the prosecution's allegations. Shortly afterwards, a close friend, the policeman Carmelo Tancredi, takes him aside. He tells him that even if he doesn't have any solid evidence, most people in Bari's security circles consider Judge Larocca to be corrupt. Guerrieri is shocked and has to admit that he never considered this possibility. Annapaola makes it clear to him why: out of vanity. The two get closer over dinner. Guerrieri now sets them to look for incriminating material about Larocca. She finds out that he often stays in expensive hotels and that the bills are paid through a Swiss bank account.
Guerrieri is now convinced of Larocca's guilt. He meets with him and confronts him with the truth. Larocca does not deny anything, but justifies itself. He only took money for cases that he would have acquitted according to the facts and, in addition, he earned such extra income in view of his brilliant achievements. Guerrieri then gives back his mandate in complete resignation. He cannot bring himself to send the incriminating material to the public prosecutor, so Annapaola takes this decision for him. At the end she waits for him on the motorcycle in front of his house and suggests an excursion with an unknown destination and duration, which he agrees to.
shape
The novel is told from Guerrieri's point of view, with normal internal monologues as well as his conversations with imaginary interlocutors, such as his punching bag, being described.
reception
Reception upon arrival
In the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Anne Goebel praises Carofiglio's narrative talent and his precise ability to observe the prevailing conditions in Italian society. "As relentlessly as the novel scrutinizes the practice of small and large favors, it is also about self-righteous indolence in a convoluted judicial apparatus - in the end Carofiglio exaggerates the topic of the philosophical question of truthfulness." Jörg Bremer, Italy correspondent for the FAZ, stands apart of the novel Carofiglio shows social commitment, but also certifies that "Guerrieri's investigations entertain the reader well".
literature
Text output
- La regola dell'equilibrio , Einaudi, Turin, ISBN 978-88-06-21812-6
- A question of dignity , Goldmann Verlag, Munich, translated by Viktoria von Schirach, ISBN 9783442487103
Individual evidence
- ^ Anne Goebel: In the network of favors . In: sueddeutsche.de . 2016, ISSN 0174-4917 ( sueddeutsche.de [accessed June 26, 2018]).
- ↑ Jörg Bremer: We all like to break rules . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of June 13, 2016 .