Inspector Montalbano

Inspector Salvo Montalbano is a fictional character created by Italian writer Andrea Camilleri.

Set in the imaginary town of Vigata, the fractious detective's character and manner encapsulate much of Sicilian mythology - brooding philosophy, whip smart dialogue, rugged beauty, superb food - and astute detective work. Montalbano has been played for Italian TV by Luca Zingaretti in two different mini-series. The series was almost entirely shot in the Sicilian city of Ragusa, Italy, and surrounding towns [see also [http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampieri Sampieri] and [http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scicli Scicli] ] .

The name Montalbano is an homage to the Spanish writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán; the striking similarities between Montalbán's Pepe Carvalho and Camilleri's fictional dictective is remarkable. Both writers make great play of their protagonists' gastronomic preferences. [cite web|url=http://www.vigata.org/bibliografia/montalbanomontalban.shtml |title=Camilleri on Montalbán]

Bibliography

Novels

#"The Shape of Water" ("La forma dell’acqua", 1994)
#"The Terracotta Dog" ("Il cane di terracotta", 1996)
#"The Snack Thief" ("Il ladro di merendine", 1996)
#"The Voice of the Violin" ("La voce del violino", 1997)
#"Excursion to Tindari" ("La gita a Tindari", 2000)
#"The Scent of the Night" ("L’odore della notte", 2001)
#"Rounding the Mark" ("Il giro di boa", 2003)
#"The Patience of the Spider" ("La pazienza del ragno", 2004)
#"The Paper Moon ("La luna di carta", 2005)
#"La Vampa d'Agosto"
#"Le ali della Sfinge"
#"La pista di sabbia"
#"Il campo del vasaio"

Collections of short stories

*"Un mese con Montalbano" (1998)
*"Gli arancini di Montalbano" (1999)
*"La paura di Montalbano" (2002)
*"La prima indagine di Montalbano"(2004)

References