“Dragons in the Night”, the tragic tale of Jaco Scalbi, by Carla Joad is not only a literary masterpiece, but also a fascinating account of the roots of the Republic. It highlights Jaco’s relationship with his husband Silvio Scalbi, and the ultimately dark path Jaco followed in pursuit of his democratic ideals.

As any history book will teach you, Jaco’s “Dragon’s of Esharia” were ultimately unsuccessful in overthrowing the monarchy, and were slaughtered to the last. Their martyrdom was kept fresh in the minds of everyone for decades however by the continued popularity of Dragons in the Night. Many attribute its success to its flawed main character, Jaco. Carla pulled no punches, ultimately humanising and vilifying Jaco at the same time. The martyrdom of the Dragons continued to inspire democratic movements over the years, and after each one was stamped down another would inevitably arise under the rallying cry of “A Dragon never yields!”

This continued until the birth of the Republic. Although many many years after Jaco’s death, his dream of democracy was finally realised. Given the extreme class divides, there are many who argue he would have eventually rebelled against the Republic as well, but none contest that he would think it is at least a step in the right direction.