8811 Writers(fiction/crime) who base their books in Italy

I've enjoyed Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano mysteries, [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Terracotta-Dog-Andrea-Camilleri/dp/0330492918/ref=pd_bbs_sr_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203112534&sr=8-6"]The Terracotta Dog[/URL], for example. An interesting Guardian article [URL="http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/crime/story/0,,1921838,00.html"]here[/URL] if you'd like to know more about the author and how he's seen in Italy.

I'm not so taken by Michael Dibdin's [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medusa-Aurelio-Mystery-Michael-Dibdin/dp/0571219853/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203112769&sr=1-10"]Aurelio Zen's Venice mysteries[/URL], but I have friends who do enjoy them.

Al

[quote=AllanMason;82807]
I'm not so taken by Michael Dibdin's [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medusa-Aurelio-Mystery-Michael-Dibdin/dp/0571219853/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203112769&sr=1-10"]Aurelio Zen's Venice mysteries[/URL], but I have friends who do enjoy them.

Al[/quote]

As someone who has very much enjoyed the Dibdin books, thought I'd point out that only a couple are set in Venice even though Zen 'is' a Venetian. Settings for the rest include Piedmont, Umbria, Sardinia, Rome, Naples, Sicily and the last (RIP Michael Dibdin, who also died in 2007) in Calabria.

I love Tim Parks (a Brit), moved to Italy years ago and writes on the Italian way of life. Hilarious and imformative.
Italian Neighbours
Italian education
A Year with Verona
All a good read......
Sprat

Moved to : Italiauncovered.co.uk

[quote=pilchard;82819]I love Tim Parks (a Brit), moved to Italy years ago and writes on the Italian way of life. Hilarious and imformative.
Italian Neighbours
Italian education
A Year with Verona
All a good read......
Sprat[/quote]
For what it's worth, I agree. And if we're expanding this to include non-fiction (or perhaps fact-based is a better term), I have to mention Annie Hawes' [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Extra-Virgin-Amongst-Groves-Liguria/dp/0140294236/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203159996&sr=1-1"]Extra Virgin[/URL] and her other books about her life in Italy.
[quote=Oneto15;82833]If you like your detective fiction set in ancient Rome, you might like to try Lindsey Davis' series of novels whose central character is Marcus Didius Falco.[/quote]
I agree with this one, too. The Falco novels are up to [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Saturnalia-Falco-18-Lindsey-Davis/dp/0099493837/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203159639&sr=8-1"]number 18[/URL], so there's probably enough to keep you occupied for a couple days!

Al

I have to mention Annie Hawes' [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Extra-Virgin-Amongst-Groves-Liguria/dp/0140294236/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203159996&sr=1-1"]Extra Virgin[/URL] and her other books about her life in Italy.

I'm just re-reading this one again. I hear she has now moved to Calabria and has written her most recent novel about her experiences there. Have to get that one. Has anyone tried using Play.com? Cheap source of dvd's, books. etc.
Sprat

Back onto crime fiction, Gianrico Carofiglio's books are an intriguing read. Set around Bari, with a lawyer as key character rather than police/caribinieri. And written by a judge.

[url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books-uk&field-author=Gianrico%20Carofiglio]Amazon.co.uk: Gianrico Carofiglio: Books[/url]

Tim Parks also writes novels, although to me they're not as gripping as his wonderful non-fiction. But some are set in Italy, for example Cara Massamina and Mimi's Ghost - these about an English teacher in Italy who indulges in disturbingly criminal relationships with Italians.

[url=http://www.timparks.com/]Tim Parks[/url]

I really enjoyed Annie Hawes first book Extra Virgin as it had me laughing out loud. I thought the second was a little less engaging but I was very excited to learn her third was based in Calabria as we had just bought a place there.
Unfortunately the third book I found horribly disappointing as Annie seemed to have accepted the Northern take on Southern Italy - in that is it riddled with crime, exceptionally poor and not worth visiting...(not our experience but we are happy if everyone is fed that viewpoint as that way we can live here happily undisturbed) :yes:

Anyway, just a few of the books based in Italy that I have come across thanks to the lovely Linda (Linda and David) and bookcrossing ([url=http://bookcrossing.com/friend/iwanttobeinital]BookCrossing - The World's Biggest Free Book Club - Catch and Release Used Books[/url]).

Anthony Capella - The Food of Love and The Wedding Officer

Isabella Dusi - Vanilla Beans and Brodo: Real Life in the Hills of Tuscany and Bel Vino: A Year of Sundrenched Pleasure Among the Vines of Tuscany (Based in Montalcino)

Vida Adamoli - La Bella Vita (Based in the Southern Italian fictional town of Torre Saracena)

Francesca Marciano - Casa Rossa (Fiction based in Puglia)

Sarah Dunant - In the Company of the Courtesan (based in renaissance Venice) and Birth of Venus (based in renaissance Florence)

Also:

Matthew Fort - Eating Up Italy : Voyages on a Vespa

James Hamilton-Paterson - Cooking with Fernet Branca

Mark Rotella - Stolen Figs: And Other Adventures in Calabria

David Yeadon - Seasons in Basilicata

Lesley

And there's more.. Italian good reads
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Almond Picker by Simonetta Agnello Hornby

The publisher of Donna Leon books has a tendency to change the title of the book. So once you become a fan, double check that you haven't already read it under another title. The UK site of Amazon is excellent for all Italian themed books and they deliver to Italy at reasonable cost. A good source of second-hand books is abebooks.co.uk If in Florence it's worth going to the Paperback Exchange in via delle Oche.

Loved the selction of titles iwanttobeinitaly and of course the plug for [url=http://www.bookcrossing.com]BookCrossing - The World's Biggest Free Book Club - Catch and Release Used Books[/url].

What a great site that has proved to be for those of us living full time in Italy and sharing a love of reading!

PAS55 You say you are running out of books to read! Do you live full time in Sardinia?

You may well be interested in joining the likes of iwanttobeinitaly and ourselves at [url=http://www.bookcrossing.com]BookCrossing - The World's Biggest Free Book Club - Catch and Release Used Books[/url] which is an excellent source of reading material!
Do ask if youwant any more info.:smile:

I found "Love and war in the appenines" by Eric Newby (also "A small place in Italy" which sort of follows on many years later) absolutely fascinating. Every time we visit Italy I try and take several books I haven't read yet to get a good stock for when I can spend longer there. I'm happy to lend them to anyone in the area who is running out of reading matter (La Spezia/Val di Vara/Lunigiana sort of area)
saluti
pam