Doctor Criminale

Main Ideas

• In «Doctor Criminale», Malcolm Bradbury skillfully explores the elusive nature of truth and myth-making, immersing the reader in an intellectual labyrinth where the lines between reality and fiction are blurred, and the search for the true essence of a person becomes an endless pilgrimage. The author wittily and ironically exposes the mechanisms of power and influence, showing how charismatic figures can manipulate public consciousness, turning their own biographies into legend. Through the lens of journalistic investigation, the theme of intellectual adventurism unfolds, where ideas become weapons and ideals serve as masks to conceal true motives. Bradbury reflects on the nature of the European intellectual tradition, the allure of radicalism, and how great minds sometimes become prisoners of their own illusions. At the heart of the narrative lies the clash between personal faith and public expectation, the tragicomedy of human weakness and vanity, and the insatiable thirst for meaning in a world where truth always recedes beyond the horizon.