Una storia semplice (A Simple Story) is a short novel by Leonardo Sciascia. It was the last novel of the author to be published, shortly before his death. It is inspired by a real event, i.e. the theft of the Caravaggio Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence, which happened in 1969.[1][2] A film based on the novel was directed by Emidio Greco and released in 1991.[3]