The Salamander (1973) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West.
Dante Matucci, a captain in the Italian secret service, begins an investigation into the death of an Italian general, found dead in his apartment. Next to the body was a small card depicting a salamander in a bed of flames. Soon Matucci discovers that the Salamander is really a millionaire industrialist Bruno Manzini, and he is drawn into a difficult investigation.
John Philip, writing in The Canberra Times, found the novel "a tale that will enthrall fans of action-packed topical novels." And he concluded: "This may not be Morris West's best novel, but it makes arresting reading and will find favour with a wide range of readers."
After its original publication in 1973 in England by Heinemann
the novel was later published by William Morrow in 1973, Pocket Books in 1974, and Allen & Unwin in 2017, and many other paperback editions, including a German translation in 1973.
In 1981, Peter Zinner's directorial debut, The Salamander, was derived from West's book, on a screenplayed by Robert Kratz and Rod Serling. It featured:
From Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht, translated by George Tabori