Summary of The Missing Head of Damasceno Monteiro
A Roma man discovers a headless body in a public park in Porto. Afraid of talking to the police, he tells what he saw the night of the murder to the novel’s protagonist, a journalist working for a tabloid newspaper. Through the interactions between this journalist and an eccentric lawyer, the reader gains insight into the mysterious murder case, but also into Portuguese literature and the political and legal climate of Portugal in the 1990s.
Reasons to read The Missing Head of Damasceno Monteiro
“The Missing Head of Damasceno Monteiro” is a literary thriller that transcends the conventions of a typical murder mystery. Inspired by a real-life scandal from the 1990s, the novel explores various social issues within Portuguese society, such as the workings of the legal system, corruption, drug trafficking, sensationalist journalism, and the marginalisation of the Roma community (known as the ‘ciganos’). Italian author Antonio Tabucchi received numerous literary awards, including the Premio Campiello, the Premio Viareggio, and the Premio Scanno. His most renowned book is “Pereira Maintains”, which earned him the prestigious Aristeion Prize. He was a professor of Portuguese language and literature at the University of Siena.
Setting: Porto (Portugal)
Original title: La testa perduta di Damasceno Monteiro
Year of publication: 1997
Nr of pages: 186
