Andrea Camilleri Books

Description /Buy link takes you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.

Andrea Camilleri is a renowned Italian writer specialized in the crime fiction genre. He is often considered to be one of the greatest Italian writers of the past century. Camilleri is a Sicilian. He was born in Porto Empedocle in 1925. This Italian author started studying at Faculty of Literature, but never finished his studies. He took on film direction instead and wrote plays. Camilleri worked shortly for Italian national television (RAI) before started writing crime novels that made him famous, and some of them, like “Inspector Salvo Montalbano” were turned into movies and TV shows. Camilleri finally settled in Rome and he still writes even in his nineties.

Print:

Camilleri is best known for the series of books about Salvo Montalbano, a maverick police investigator who is Sicilian, just like his creator. The first book of the series was published in 2003. Camilleri has also written many short stories and plays that did not have the same impact as Montalbano saga, but which are liked among Italian readers.

Andrea Camilleri’s Awards

Andrea Camilleri was awarded with many recognitions, most notably Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the highest ranking honor in Italy and a rare privilege. Camilleri also won an RBA International Prize for Crime Writing, which is the most important award in the field of crime fiction genre. In 1998, Camilleri was the recipient of the Nino Martoglio International Book Award. In addition, this Italian writer received numerous honorary degrees in Italy and abroad.

Andrea Camilleri’s Books Into Movie/TV:

Andrea Camilleri has written several movies for television, both movies and series, but his most famous legacy remains Inspector Salvo Montalbano. Adventures of this plucky detective were turned in a famous Italian TV show and inspired a spin-off which deals with Montalbano’s youth. In the original series Montalbano was portrayed by Luca Zingaretti, a role that made him famous, and in the spin-off, the detective is played by Michele Riondino.

Best Andrea Camilleri’s Books

Andrea Camilleri has written dozens of great novels in his long career, and what are arguably the best ones are listed below:

The Shape of Water: This Camilleri’s novel is often deemed as one of the best opening novels of a series of all time in Italy. Its primary focus is on setting up the world of Inspector Salvo Montalbano, a streetwise police detective who solves some of the most complicated cases in the country. In this introductory novel, a body of a rich and perspective engineer Silvio Luparello is found by two garbage men in the violent part of the city called The Pasture. The case seems straightforward as it is ascribed to a heart attack and Inspector Montalbano is sent to conclude the case. However, upon seeing the crime scene, inspector gets another idea and starts working on his hunch. Thus, we enter the world of Montalbano right away, with his unusual techniques of investigation and cynical view of the world.

The Snack Thief: This is the third installment of Camilleri’s series about Salvo Montalbano and it is usually described both by readers and critics as one of the most gripping. In this novel, Montalbano tries to connect two apparently unrelated murder cases- the one in which an old man is stabbed in an elevator and the other in which a fisherman is killed by a patrol boat on the border between Sicily and Tunisia. This novel introduces a reader with complex social themes, which form an underlying motive of the entire series- the corruption and decadence that destroy small communities and their political representatives. Besides two murders, Montalbano has to deal with the disappearance of his recent acquaintance Karima, an ex-prostitute. Karima’s son and Montalbano will form an unlikely connection, that will cause many events important to the plot.

La rivoluzione della luna (The Cycle of the Moon): Camillero’s career is not revolving solely around Salvo Montalbano. He proves that in this novel also set in Sicily, this time in the second half of the 18th century. It is based on a true story of Eleonora de Moura, who went on to became a viceroy for 27 days or a cycle of the moon, hence the title. In 1677, Anielo de Guzman y Carafa, a marquis of Castle Rodrigo, dies and appoints his wife to succeed him. Eleonora takes the task with full responsibility and as a dedicated and capable ruler starts making good decisions which bring back Palermo from the collapse. Nevertheless, Eleonora makes a lot of enemies, who simply can not imagine a woman as a leader, however good. The story tracks Eleonora’s reign, as well as trials and tribulations she had to endure while she was performing the function of the leader.

When Does The Next Andrea Camilleri book come out?

Andrea Camilleri doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Riccardino and was released on September, 21st 2021. It is the newest book in the Inspector Montalbano Series.

Home » Author » Andrea Camilleri