Posted on 18/07/2019 13:40
Sad to see the passing of this Italian author. People may know him as the author of books where the principal character is Detective Montalbano, popularised in TV films shown on BBC4.
I have read many of his books and enjoyed his attacks on the corruption of Italian Political Life in Sicilly as well as taking aim at the Mafia.
He was 93.
Posted on 18/07/2019 17:29
Saw his obituary in the Guardian today. He was nearly 70 before he started to write the Commissario Salvo Montalbano novels. I must admit to not reading any of the books but have been an avid watcher of the Inspector Montalbano series on TV. I wonder if in the books he is a much more serious character than portrayed in the RAI television series. I often thought the TV series could have done with more of a Morse type treatment, slightly more serious?
On a more frivolous note he certainly did the tourist trade in his native Sicily a big favour!
David
Posted on 18/07/2019 20:15
I wonder if in the books he is a much more serious character than portrayed in the RAI television series.
The TV series was one of the few that I have seen which was exactly as the characters were written in the book. What you read is what you see except that in books the author always gets to develop the thoughts better than TV can show but the episodes that I have seen were representative of the books.
Posted on 21/07/2019 18:34
We are avid Montalbano fans. Started off watching the TV series with the wonderful Luca Zingaretti, then started reading the books, which we found very amusing. Enjoyed the Young Montalbano TV series as well. The characters are wonderfully endearing, and of course the settings are stunning. From the outside Sicily appears to be falling to bits, but inside the buildings are just beautiful. A wonderful author, with a worldwide following. BBC Iplayer is currently showing a later series.
Wherenext
Caravanner