Magdalen Nabb
Encyclopedia
Magdalen Nabb was a British author
, best known for the Marshal Guarnaccia detective novel
s.
Born near Blackburn in Lancashire
as Magdalen Nuttal, she was educated at the Convent Grammar School, Bury
, before going on to art college in Manchester
, where she studied arts and pottery, which she taught in an art school. In 1975 she moved to Florence
in Italy
with her son, Liam, even through she didn't speak Italian. There, she continued to work on pottery in a pottery town near Florence, and began writing. It was in Montelupo
that she met the model for "Marshal Guarnaccia". Her first book, Death of an Englishman, was first published in 1981. All her stories take place in Florence which she describes as a "very secret city". She lived near enough to the Carabinieri
station in to stroll there regularly and have a chat with the marshal, who kept her up to date on crime in the city.
She also wrote the Josie Smith books for children and did occasional journalistic pieces for English, German and Italian papers. In 1991 she won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
for Josie Smith and Eileen, the second book in the series. Her final novel, Vita Nuova, was posthumously published in 2008.
She died in Florence of a stroke, aged 60.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, best known for the Marshal Guarnaccia detective novel
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
s.
Born near Blackburn in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
as Magdalen Nuttal, she was educated at the Convent Grammar School, Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, before going on to art college in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, where she studied arts and pottery, which she taught in an art school. In 1975 she moved to Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
in Italy
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...
with her son, Liam, even through she didn't speak Italian. There, she continued to work on pottery in a pottery town near Florence, and began writing. It was in Montelupo
Montelupo Fiorentino
Montelupo Fiorentino is a comune in the Province of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 20 km southwest of Florence...
that she met the model for "Marshal Guarnaccia". Her first book, Death of an Englishman, was first published in 1981. All her stories take place in Florence which she describes as a "very secret city". She lived near enough to the Carabinieri
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
station in to stroll there regularly and have a chat with the marshal, who kept her up to date on crime in the city.
She also wrote the Josie Smith books for children and did occasional journalistic pieces for English, German and Italian papers. In 1991 she won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, also known as the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, was an annual award given to children's books written in the previous year by a UK citizen or resident. The prize was administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading, and sponsored by...
for Josie Smith and Eileen, the second book in the series. Her final novel, Vita Nuova, was posthumously published in 2008.
She died in Florence of a stroke, aged 60.
Maresciallo Guarnaccia
- Death of an Englishman, 1981
- Death of a Dutchman, 1982
- Death in Springtime, 1983
- Death in Autumn, 1985
- The Marshal and the Murderer, 1987
- The Marshal and the Madwoman, 1988
- The Marshal's Own Case, 1990
- The Marshal Makes His Report, 1991
- The Marshal at the Villa Torrini, 1993
- The Monster of Florence, 1996
- Property of Blood, 1999
- Some Bitter Taste, 2002
- The Innocent, 2005
- Vita Nuova, 2008
Josie Smith books
- Josie Smith, 1989
- Josie Smith and Eileen, 1991, won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
- Josie Smith at Christmas, 1992
- Josie Smith at the Seaside, 1993
- Josie Smith at School, 1994
- Josie Smith in Hospital, 1995
- Josie Smith at the Market, 1996
- Josie Smith in Summer, 1997
- Josie Smith in Winter, 1998
- Josie Smith in Spring, 1999
- Josie Smith in Autumn, 2000
Other books for adults
- The Prosecutor, 1986, co-authored by Paolo Vagheggi
- Cosimo, 2004