Andrea Camilleri
Encyclopedia
Andrea Camilleri is an Italian
writer
.
, Sicily
, Camilleri, began studies at the Faculty of Literature
in 1944, without concluding them, meanwhile publishing poems and short stories.
From 1948 to 1950 Camilleri studied stage and film direction at the Silvio D'Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts (Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica) and began to take on work as a director and screenwriter
, directing especially plays by Pirandello and Beckett
. As a matter of fact, his parents knew Pirandello and were even distant friends, as he tells in his essay on Pirandello "Biography of the changed son". His most famous works, the Montalbano series show many pirandellian elements: for example, the wild olive tree that helps Montalbano think is on stage in his late work "The giants of the mountain"
With RAI
, Camilleri worked on several TV productions, such as Inspector Maigret with Gino Cervi
. In 1977 he returned to the Academy of Dramatic Arts, holding the chair of Movie Direction and occupying it for 20 years.
In 1978 Camilleri wrote his first novel Il Corso Delle Cose ("The Way Things Go"). This was followed by Un Filo di Fumo ("A Thread of Smoke") in 1980. Neither of these works enjoyed any significant amount of popularity.
In 1992, after a long pause of 12 years, Camilleri once more took up novel-writing. A new book, La Stagione della Caccia ("The Hunting Season") turned out to be a best-seller.
In 1994 Camilleri published the first in a long series of novels: La forma dell'Acqua (The Shape of Water) featured the character of Inspector Montalbano
, a fractious Sicilian detective in the police force of Vigàta, an imaginary Sicilian town. The series is written in Italian but with a substantial sprinkling of Sicilian
phrases and grammar. The name Montalbano is an homage to the Spanish writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán
; the similarities between Montalban's Pepe Carvalho
and Camilleri's fictional detective are remarkable. Both writers make great play of their protagonists' gastronomic preferences.
This feature provides an interesting quirk which has become something of a fad among his readership even in mainland Italy. The TV adaptation of Montalbano's adventures, starring the perfectly-cast Luca Zingaretti
, further increased Camilleri's popularity to such a point that in 2003 Camilleri's home town, Porto Empedocle - on which Vigàta is modelled - took the extraordinary step of changing its official name to that of Porto Empedocle Vigàta, no doubt with an eye to capitalising on the tourism possibilities thrown up by the author's work. On his website, Camilleri refers to the engaging and multi-faceted character of Montalbano as a “serial killer of characters." meaning that he has developed a life of his own and demands great attention from his author, to the demise of other potential books and different personages. Camilleri added that he writes a Montalbano novel every so often just so that the character will be appeased and allow him to work on other stories.
In 1998 Camilleri won the Nino Martoglio International Book Award.
Camilleri now lives in Rome
where he works as a TV and theatre director. About 10 million copies of his novels have been sold to date and are becoming increasingly popular in the UK and North America.
In addition to the degree of popularity brought him by the novels, in recent months Andrea Camilleri has become even more of a media icon thanks to the parodies aired on an RAI radio show, where popular comedian, TV-host and impression artist Fiorello
presents him as a raspy voiced, caustic character, madly in love with cigarettes and smoking (Camilleri is well-known for his love of tobacco).
He received an honorary degree
from University of Pisa
in 2005. He is an atheist.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Biography
Originally from Porto EmpedoclePorto Empedocle
Porto Empedocle is a town and comune in Italy on the coast of the Strait of Sicily, administratively part of the province of Agrigento. It is the namesake of Empedocles , a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a citizen of the city of Agrigentum , in his day a Greek colony in Sicily...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Camilleri, began studies at the Faculty of Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
in 1944, without concluding them, meanwhile publishing poems and short stories.
From 1948 to 1950 Camilleri studied stage and film direction at the Silvio D'Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts (Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica) and began to take on work as a director and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, directing especially plays by Pirandello and Beckett
Beckett
- People :* Arthur William à Beckett , English journalist and man of letters* Barry Beckett , American musician* Billy Beckett , English footballer...
. As a matter of fact, his parents knew Pirandello and were even distant friends, as he tells in his essay on Pirandello "Biography of the changed son". His most famous works, the Montalbano series show many pirandellian elements: for example, the wild olive tree that helps Montalbano think is on stage in his late work "The giants of the mountain"
With RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
, Camilleri worked on several TV productions, such as Inspector Maigret with Gino Cervi
Gino Cervi
Gino Cervi was an Italian actor of international fame.Cervi was born in Bologna. His father was the theatre critic Antonio Cervi.In 1928, he married Nini Gordini and they had a son, Tonino Cervi...
. In 1977 he returned to the Academy of Dramatic Arts, holding the chair of Movie Direction and occupying it for 20 years.
In 1978 Camilleri wrote his first novel Il Corso Delle Cose ("The Way Things Go"). This was followed by Un Filo di Fumo ("A Thread of Smoke") in 1980. Neither of these works enjoyed any significant amount of popularity.
In 1992, after a long pause of 12 years, Camilleri once more took up novel-writing. A new book, La Stagione della Caccia ("The Hunting Season") turned out to be a best-seller.
In 1994 Camilleri published the first in a long series of novels: La forma dell'Acqua (The Shape of Water) featured the character of Inspector Montalbano
Inspector Montalbano
Inspector Salvo Montalbano is a fictional character created by Italian writer Andrea Camilleri in a series of novels and short stories.Set in the picturesque Sicilian town of Vigàta , the fractious detective's character and manner encapsulate much of Sicilian mythology and astute detective work...
, a fractious Sicilian detective in the police force of Vigàta, an imaginary Sicilian town. The series is written in Italian but with a substantial sprinkling of Sicilian
Sicilian language
Sicilian is a Romance language. Its dialects make up the Extreme-Southern Italian language group, which are spoken on the island of Sicily and its satellite islands; in southern and central Calabria ; in the southern parts of Apulia, the Salento ; and Campania, on the Italian mainland, where it is...
phrases and grammar. The name Montalbano is an homage to the Spanish writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán
Manuel Vázquez Montalbán
Manuel Vázquez Montalbán was a prolific Spanish writer: journalist, novelist, poet, essayist, anthologue, prologist, humourist, critic, as well as a gastronome and a FC Barcelona supporter....
; the similarities between Montalban's Pepe Carvalho
Pepe Carvalho
Pepe Carvalho is a fictional private detective, the protagonist of a series of novels written by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán.-The character:Carvalho has a rich, complex and contradictory personality. The author uses his adventures to describe, and in many instances criticize, the political and...
and Camilleri's fictional detective are remarkable. Both writers make great play of their protagonists' gastronomic preferences.
This feature provides an interesting quirk which has become something of a fad among his readership even in mainland Italy. The TV adaptation of Montalbano's adventures, starring the perfectly-cast Luca Zingaretti
Luca Zingaretti
Luca Zingaretti is an Italian actor, known for playing Salvo Montalbano in Il commissario Montalbano mystery series based on the character and novels created by Andrea Camilleri. Zingaretti is a native of Rome...
, further increased Camilleri's popularity to such a point that in 2003 Camilleri's home town, Porto Empedocle - on which Vigàta is modelled - took the extraordinary step of changing its official name to that of Porto Empedocle Vigàta, no doubt with an eye to capitalising on the tourism possibilities thrown up by the author's work. On his website, Camilleri refers to the engaging and multi-faceted character of Montalbano as a “serial killer of characters." meaning that he has developed a life of his own and demands great attention from his author, to the demise of other potential books and different personages. Camilleri added that he writes a Montalbano novel every so often just so that the character will be appeased and allow him to work on other stories.
In 1998 Camilleri won the Nino Martoglio International Book Award.
Camilleri now lives in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
where he works as a TV and theatre director. About 10 million copies of his novels have been sold to date and are becoming increasingly popular in the UK and North America.
In addition to the degree of popularity brought him by the novels, in recent months Andrea Camilleri has become even more of a media icon thanks to the parodies aired on an RAI radio show, where popular comedian, TV-host and impression artist Fiorello
Fiorello
Fiorello may refer to:*Fiorello!, a Broadway musical*Fiorello! , a 1960 album by Oscar Peterson*Rosario Fiorello, also known as simply Fiorello, Italian singer and TV host*Fiorello H. La Guardia, former mayor of New York City...
presents him as a raspy voiced, caustic character, madly in love with cigarettes and smoking (Camilleri is well-known for his love of tobacco).
He received an honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from University of Pisa
University of Pisa
The University of Pisa , located in Pisa, Tuscany, is one of the oldest universities in Italy. It was formally founded on September 3, 1343 by an edict of Pope Clement VI, although there had been lectures on law in Pisa since the 11th century...
in 2005. He is an atheist.
Inspector Montalbano
- The Shape of WaterThe Shape of WaterThe Shape of Water is a 1994 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2002 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the first novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series and the first of the RAI TV Montalbano films...
- 2002 (La forma dell’acqua - 1994) - The Terracotta DogThe Terracotta DogThe Terracotta Dog is a 1996 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2002 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the second novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series....
- 2002 (Il cane di terracotta - 1996) - The Snack ThiefThe Snack ThiefThe Snack Thief is a 1996 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2003 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the third novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series....
- 2003 (Il ladro di merendine - 1996) - The Voice of the ViolinThe Voice of the ViolinThe Voice of the Violin is a 1997 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2003 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the fourth novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series....
- 2003 (La voce del violino - 1997) - Excursion to TindariExcursion to TindariExcursion to Tindari is a 2000 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2005 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the fifth novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series, and, upon publication in English, was shortlisted for the CWA Duncan Lawrie International Dagger for...
- 2005 (La gita a Tindari - 2000) - The Scent of the NightThe Scent of the NightThe Scent of the Night is a 2001 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2005 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the sixth novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series.-Plot summary:...
- 2005 (L’odore della notte - 2001) - Rounding the MarkRounding the MarkRounding the Mark is a 2003 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2006 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the seventh novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series....
- 2006 (Il giro di boa - 2003) - The Patience of the SpiderThe Patience of the SpiderThe Patience of the Spider is a 2004 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2007 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the eighth novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series....
- 2007 (La pazienza del ragno - 2004) - The Paper Moon - 2008 (La Luna di Carta - 2005)
- August HeatAugust HeatAugust Heat is a 2006 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2009 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the tenth novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series....
- 2009 (La Vampa d'Agosto - 2006) - The Wings of the SphinxThe Wings of the SphinxThe Wings of the Sphinx is a 2006 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2009 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the eleventh novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series....
- 2009 (Le Ali della Sfinge - 2006) - The Track of SandThe Track of SandThe Track of Sand is a 2008 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2010 by Stephen Sartarelli. It is the twelfth novel in the internationally popular Inspector Montalbano series....
- 2010 (La pista di Sabbia - 2007) - The Potter's Field - 2011 (Il campo del vasaio - 2008)
- (L'età del dubbio - 2008)
- (Le prime indagini - 2009)
- (La danza del gabbiano - 2009)
Other
- Gli arancini di Montalbano (1999) ISBN 8804469722
- Biografia di un figlio cambiato (2000) ISBN 8817866121
- Il birraio di Preston (1995) ISBN 8838910987
- La bolla di componenda (1993)
- La concessione del telefono (1998) ISBN 8838913447
- La concessione del telefono: versione teatrale dell’omonimo romanzo (2005) ISBN 8877962658
- Il corso delle cose (1978; revised edition, 1998) ISBN 8838914729
- Il diavolo: tentatore, innamorato (2005) ISBN 8879899600
- Favole del tramonto (2000) ISBN 888677222X
- Un filo di fumo (1980)
- Il gioco della mosca (1995) ISBN 8838911932
- Gocce di Sicilia (2001) ISBN 8886772084 (Texts originally published in the Almanacco dell’Altana between 1995-2000.)
- Le inchieste del commissario Collura (2002) ISBN 8874150024
- La linea della palma: Saverio Lodato fa raccontare Andrea Camilleri (2002) ISBN 8817870501
- Il medaglione (2005) ISBN 8804550279
- Un mese con Montalbano (1998) ISBN 8804444657 (Thirty short stories)
- Montalbano a viva voce (2002) ISBN 8804509740 (Two audio CDs)
- La mossa del cavallo (1999) ISBN 8817860832
- L’ombrello di Noe (2002) ISBN 8817870110
- Le parole raccontate: piccolo dizionario dei termini teatrali (2001) ISBN 8817868884
- La paura di Montalbano (2002) ISBN 8804506946 (Six short stories)
- La Pensione Eva: romanzo (2006) ISBN 8804554347
- La presa di Macallè (2003) ISBN 8838918961 (Novel in the dialect of Sicily)
- La prima indagine di Montalbano (2004) ISBN 8804529830
- Privo di titolo (2005) ISBN 8838920303
- Racconti quotidiani (2001) ISBN 8890041145
- Il re di Girgenti (2001) ISBN 8838916683
- Romanzi storici e civili (2004) ISBN 8804519290
- La scomparsa di Patò: romanzo (2000) ISBN 8804484128
- La stagione della caccia (1992, 1998) ISBN 8838910189
- Storie di Montalbano (2002) ISBN 8804504277
- La strage dimenticata (1997) ISBN 8838913889
- I teatri stabili in Italia (1898–1918) (1959)
- Teatro (2003)
- La testa ci fa dire: dialogo con Andrea Camilleri (2000) ISBN 8838915687
- Vi racconto Montalbano: interviste (2006) ISBN 8879813021
- Il colore del sole (2007)
- Le pecore ed il pastore (2007)
- La novella di Antonello da Palermo (2007)
- Voi non sapete (2007)
- Maruzza Musumeci (2007)
- Il tailleur grigio (2008)
- Il casellante (2008)
- La muerte de Amalia Sacerdote (2008)
- Un sabato, con gli amici (2009)
- Il sonaglio (2009)
- La rizzagliata (2009)
- La tana delle vipere (2009)
- Il nipote del Negus (2010) ISBN 8838924538
- L'intermittenza(2010) ISBN 9788804598428
External links
- Official website of Andrea Camilleri (in Italian)
- From Montelusa to Vigata. On the trail of Andrea Camilleri and Inspector Montalbano(in English)
- Andrea Camilleri Reader Website (in German, English, and Italian)
- Vigata.org - Camilleri Fans Club (in Italian)