Andrea Camilleri

Andrea Camilleri (2010)

Andrea Camilleri (born September 6, 1925 in Porto Empedocle , Sicily , † July 17, 2019 in Rome ) was an Italian screenwriter , theater and television director and writer . His most successful fictional character is the Sicilian inspector Montalbano , whom he named after the Spanish writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán . The crime novels with Commissario Montalbano were translated into 30 languages ​​and made Camilleri internationally known. In total, Camilleri wrote more than 100 books and was considered a critical voice in contemporary Italian literature.

Life

In 1942 Camilleri, who grew up in Agrigento , began working as a director for theater and radio. He made a living by introducing works by August Strindberg , Samuel Beckett , Eugène Ionesco and T. S. Eliot in Italy.

The twenty-year-old's first poems appeared in a small anthology compiled by Giuseppe Ungaretti , who also wrote short stories and articles for magazines.

With a short break he taught at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome from 1958 to 1970 . From 1977 to 1997 he was a professor at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts "Silvio D'Amico". There he held seminars and courses on directing and authorship in Italy and abroad.

In 1978 he published his first novel , Il corso delle cose (German: Rooster in a Basket ) , written in 1968 . For many of his later books, Camilleri received prizes such as the Premio Gela in 1980 , the Premio Vittorini and in 1999 the Premio Elsa Morante . In 1994 he began the successful crime novel series with Commissario Montalbano. He received his first international award in 2012 with the Dagger Award - International Dagger category from the British Crime Writers' Association (CWA) for Potter's Field (Original: Il campo del vasaio ; German: The Ritual of Vengeance ).

Camilleri was married with three daughters and four grandchildren and lived in Rome. On June 17, 2019, Camilleri had to be reanimated in a hospital in Rome after a cardiac arrest. He died on July 17, 2019 at the age of 93 in a Roman hospital.

Works

Detective novels with Commissario Montalbano

(This overview also lists some collections of short narratives (outside of the numbering). A systematic, complete overview of all Montalbano crime stories, some with contents, can be found at www.buecherrezensions.org .)

No.	Original title (year of publication)	German title (year of publication)	ISBN
1	La forma dell'acqua (1994)	The shape of the water : Commissario Montalbano thinks about it. (1999) [a]	ISBN 3-7857-1509-9
2	Il cane di terracotta (1996)	The terracotta dog: Commissario Montalbano solves a riddle. (1999) [b]	ISBN 3-7857-1510-2
3	Il ladro di merendine (1996)	The thief of sweet things: Commissario Montalbano lets himself be seduced. (2000) [b]	ISBN 3-7857-1513-7
4th	La voce del violino (1997)	The voice of the violin: Commissario Montalbano has a dream. (2000) [b]	ISBN 3-7857-1518-8
-	Un mese con Montalbano (1998)	Short stories: The paradise of the little sinners: Commissario Montalbano stumbles. (2001) [b]	ISBN 3-7857-1520-X
-	Gli Arancini di Montalbano (1999)	Short stories: The night of the lonely dreamer: Commissario Montalbano ponders. (2002) [b]	ISBN 3-7857-1529-3
5	La gita a Tindari (2000)	The patriarch's game: Commissario Montalbano learns to be amazed. (2001) [b]	ISBN 3-7857-1525-0
6th	L'odore della notte (2001)	The gentleman of the late hour: Commissario Montalbano is amazed. (2002) [b]	ISBN 3-7857-1533-1
-	La paura di Montalbano (2002)	Short stories: The revenge of the fair sex: Commissario Montalbano learns to fear. (2004) [b]	ISBN 978-3-7857-1540-6
7th	Il giro di boa (2003)	The cold smile of the sea: Commissario Montalbano is losing patience. (2004) [b]	ISBN 3-7857-1549-8
-	La prima indagine di Montalbano (2004)	Short stories: The false charm of retribution: Commissario Montalbano finds his destiny. (2005) [b]	ISBN 3-7857-1565-X
8th	La pazienza del ragno (2004)	The passion of the silent avenger : Commissario Montalbano has reached his limits. (2006) [b]	ISBN 3-7857-1581-1
9	La luna di carta (2005)	The dark truth of the moon: Commissario Montalbano experiences great moments. (2007) [c]	ISBN 3-7857-1601-X
10	La vampa d'agosto (2006)	The black soul of summer: Commissario Montalbano looks into the abyss. (2008) [c]	ISBN 978-3-7857-1617-5
11	Le Ali della Sfinge (2006)	The wings of the Sphinx: Commissario Montalbano longs for the lightness of being. (2009) [c]	ISBN 3-7857-2378-4
12	La pista di sabbia (2007)	The trail of the fox: Commissario Montalbano lets his gaze wander into the distance. (2010) [c]	ISBN 978-3-7857-2395-1
13	Il campo del vasaio (2008)	The ritual of revenge: Commissario Montalbano misses a good friend. (2012) [c]	ISBN 978-3-7857-2431-6
14th	L'età del dubbio (2008)	The days of doubt: Commissario Montalbano dreams of love. (2013) [d]	ISBN 978-3-7857-2466-8
15th	La danza del gabbiano (2009)	The dance of the seagull: Commissario Montalbano sees the truth on the horizon. (2014) [d]	ISBN 978-3-7857-2499-6
16	La caccia al tesoro (2010)	The poet's game: Commissario Montalbano reads between the lines. (2015) [d]	ISBN 978-3-7857-2535-1
-	Acqua in bocca (2010)	Co-author: Carlo Lucarelli . The sweet face of death: a case for Commissario Montalbano and Grazia Negro. (2011) [c]	ISBN 978-3-463-40611-4
17th	Il sorriso di Angelica (2010)	The Signorina's smile: Commissario Montalbano lets himself be blinded. (2015) [d]	ISBN 978-3-785-72544-3
18th	Il gioco degli specchi (2011)	The labyrinth of mirrors: Commissario Montalbano ventures into dangerous realms. (2016) [d]	ISBN 978-3-785-72564-1
19th	Una lama di luce (2012)	The trail of light: Commissario Montalbano faces the past. (2017) [d]	ISBN 978-3-785-72586-3
20th	Una voce di notte (2012)	A voice in the night: Commissario Montalbano listens to his conscience. (2018) [d]	ISBN 978-3-785-72612-9
21st	Un covo di vipere (2013)	The snakes' nest: Commissario Montalbano struggles to maintain his composure. (2019) [d]	ISBN 978-3-785-72627-3
22nd	La piramide di fango (2014)	The picture of the pyramid: Commissario Montalbano looks behind the facade. (2020) [d]	ISBN 978-3-785-72655-6
-	Morte in mare aperto e altre indagini del giovane Montalbano (2014) (8 short novels of 4 chapters)	The honest thief: Commissario Montalbano has a heart for little sinners. (2015) [d]	ISBN 978-3-785-72554-2
23	La giostra degli scambi (2015)	The carousel of mix-ups: Commissario Montalbano does not let himself be deterred. (2021) [d]	ISBN 978-3-7857-27010
24	L'altro capo del filo (2016)	(not yet published)	-
25th	La rete di protezione (2017)	(not yet published)	-
26th	Il metodo Catalanotti (2018)	(not yet published)	-
-	Ventiquattr'ore di ritardo, in Una giornata in giallo (short story, 2018)	(not yet published)	-
27	Il cuoco dell'Alcyon (2019)	(not yet published)	-
28	Riccardino (2020)	(not yet published)	-

[a] Translated by Schahrzad Assemi, [b] Translated by Christiane von Bechtolsheim, [c] Translated by Moshe Kahn, [d] Translated by Rita Seuss and Walter Kögler

Other works

• I teatri stabili in Italia (1898–1918) (1959, previously untranslated)
• Il corso delle cose , 1978
  • Hahn im Korb , German by Monika Lustig, Piper, Munich, Zurich 2005. ISBN 978-3-492-24531-9
• Un filo di fumo , novel, 1980
  • The capricious island, German by Monika Lustig, Piper, Munich, Zurich 2001. ISBN 978-3-492-27020-5
• La strage dimenticata , short story, 1984 and La bolla di componenda , short story, 1993
  • A matter of honor , German by Monika Lustig, Piper, Munich, Zurich 2002. ISBN 978-3-492-04422-6
• La stagione della caccia Roman, 1992
  • Hunting season, German by Monika Lustig, Piper, Munich, Zurich 2001. ISBN 978-3-492-27013-7
• Il gioco della mosca , short stories, 1995
  • Fliegenspiel, German by Moshe Kahn , Wagenbach, Berlin 2000. ISBN 978-3-8031-1190-6
• Il birraio di Preston , novel, 1995 (based on `` Il birraio di Preston '' by Luigi Ricci)
  • The Sicilian Opera, German by Monika Lustig, Piper, Munich, Zurich 2001. ISBN 978-3-492-27002-1
• La concessione del telefono , Roman, 1998
  • The improper application, German by Moshe Kahn, Wagenbach, Berlin 1998. ISBN 978-3-8031-3143-0
• La mossa del cavallo , novel, 1999
  • The mill of the Lord, German by Moshe Kahn, Wagenbach, Berlin 2000. ISBN 978-3-8031-3148-5
• La scomparsa di Patò , historical detective novel, 2000
  • The second kiss of Judas, German by Christiane von Bechtolsheim, Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 2003. ISBN 978-3-7857-1536-9
• Biografia del figlio cambiato , novel biography Luigi Pirandellos , 2000
  • The swapped son, German by Moshe Kahn, Wagenbach, Berlin 2001. ISBN 978-3-8031-3159-1
• Favole del tramonto (2000, previously untranslated)
• La testa ci fa dire: dialogo con Andrea Camilleri (2000, previously untranslated)
• Racconti quotidiani , short stories, 2001
  • News from Paradise, German from Christiane von Bechtolsheim, Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 2005. ISBN 978-3-7857-1554-3 )
• Il re di Girgenti , novel, 2001
  • König Zosimo, German by Moshe Kahn, Wagenbach, Berlin 2003. ISBN 978-3-8031-3178-2
• Gocce di Sicilia (2001, previously untranslated)
• La parole raccontate - Piccolo dizionario dei termini teatral (2001, previously untranslated)
• L'ombrello di Noè (2002, previously untranslated)
• La linea della palma: Saverio Lodato fa raccontare Andrea Camilleri (2002, previously untranslated)
• Dieci favole politicamente scorrette dedicate al Cavaliere d'Iliata dall'autore del "Commissario Montalbano" : Il bene pubblico / Faust 2001 / L'incorreggibile / I Vangeli dei due Apostoli / Gli scheletri / Favola vera / Il Cavaliere e la morte / Il Cavaliere e la mela / Il Cavaliere e la volpe / Il pelo, non il vizio published online in 2002 at www.manipulite.it/micromega
• Le inchieste del Commissario Collura , short stories, 2002
  • The investigations of the Commissario Collura, German by Moshe Kahn, Wagenbach, Berlin, 2003. ISBN 978-3-8031-2476-0 )
• La presa di Macallè , novel, 2003
  • The broken sky , German by Moshe Kahn, Piper, Munich, Zurich 2005. ISBN 978-3-492-04680-0
• Teatro (2003, previously untranslated)
• Romanzi storici e civili (2004, previously untranslated)
• Troppi equivoci , short story, 2005
  • Too many misunderstandings by Moshe Kahn; in: I know about your dark soul, Italian crime stories, edited by Giancarlo De Cataldo , Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach, 2006. ISBN 978-3-404-92288-8
• Privo di titolo , novel, 2005
  • The Martyr in the Black Shirt, German by Moshe Kahn, Piper, Munich, Zurich, 2007. ISBN 978-3-492-04883-5
• Il medaglione , novel, 2005
  • The medallion, German by Moshe Kahn, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2006. ISBN 978-3-463-40504-9
• La pensione Eva , Roman, 2006
  • The Pension Eva , German by Moshe Kahn, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2008. ISBN 978-3-463-40509-4
• Il diavolo: tentatore, innamorato , story, 2006
  • The seductive devil, German by Moshe Kahn, Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2008. ISBN 978-3-499-24564-0
• Pagine scelte di Luigi Pirandello (2007, previously untranslated)
• Il colore del sole , A Caravaggio novel, 2007
  • The color of the sun, German by Moshe Kahn, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2010. ISBN 978-3-463-40532-2
• Le pecore e il pastore (2007, previously untranslated)
• Boccaccio - La novella di Antonello da Palermo (2007, previously untranslated)
• Voi non wallpaper - Gli amici, i nemici, la mafia, il mondo nei pizzini di Bernardo Provenzano , 2007
  • M for Mafia, German by Moshe Kahn, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2009. ISBN 978-3-463-40557-5
• Maruzza Musumeci , Roman, 2007
  • The woman from the sea, German by Moshe Kahn, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2011. ISBN 978-3-463-40560-5
• Quindici poesie incivili / Cinque poesie incivili / Diciotto poesie incivili published 4/6/8/2008 in MicroMega, online at http://www.vigata.org/bibliografia/poesieincivili.shtml
• Il tailleur grigio , Roman, 2008
  • The gray dress, German by Moshe Kahn, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2010. ISBN 978-3-463-40561-2
• Un inverno italiano. Cronache con rabbia 2008–2009 (2009, together with Saverio Lodato)
• Il cielo rubato , novel, 2009
  • The robbed sky, German by Christiane von Bechtolsheim, Wagenbach, Berlin 2011. ISBN 978-3-8031-1271-2
• What is an italian (Short portrait texts, German by Peter Kammerer ), Wagenbach, Berlin 201. ISBN 978-3-8031-2630-6
• Il sorriso di Angelica (2010, previously untranslated)
• Il gioco degli specchi (2010, previously untranslated)
• La tripla vita di Michele Sparacino , novel, 2009
  • The three lives of Michele Sparacino, German by Moshe Kahn, List, Berlin 2010. ISBN 978-3-548-60985-0
• Gran Circo Taddei e altre storie di Vigàta (Palermo 2011, previously untranslated)
• La Rizzagliata , novel, 2009
  • The net of the big fish, German by Moshe Kahn, Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 2011. ISBN 978-3-7857-2418-7 )
• Il nipote del Negus , novel, 2010
  • Strictly confidential, German by Sigrid Vagt , Nagel & Kimche, Munich 2011. ISBN 978-3-312-00468-3
• Il casellante , novel, 2008
  • Der Bahnwärter, German by Moshe Kahn, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2012. ISBN 978-3-463-40576-6
• La moneta di Akragas , novel, 2010
  • The Akragas coin, German by Annette Kopetzki , Nagel & Kimche, Zurich 2012. ISBN 978-3-312-00527-7
• Il Sonaglio , novel, 2009
  • The Shepherd Boy, German by Moshe Kahn, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2013. ISBN 978-3-463-40605-3
• La setta degli angeli , novel, 2011
  • The sect of angels, German by Annette Kopetzki, Nagel & Kimche, Munich 2013. ISBN 978-3-312-00551-2
• Un sabato, con gli amici , novel, 2009
  • A Saturday among friends, German by Moshe Kahn, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2013. ISBN 978-3-463-40581-0 )
• Il diavolo, certamente , 2013
  • The devil, of course: perfidious prose, German by Annette Kopetzki, Nagel & Kimche, Zurich 2019. ISBN 978-3-312-01130-8
• Come la penso (2013, previously untranslated)
• La banda Sacco (2013, previously untranslated)
• I racconti di Nené (2014, previously untranslated)
• La rivoluzione della luna , novel, 2013
  • The Revolution of the Moon, German by Karin Krieger , Nagel & Kimche, Zurich 2014. ISBN 978-3-312-00624-3
• Il tuttomio , novel, 2013
  • Mein Ein und Alles, German by Annette Kopetzki, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2014. ISBN 978-3-463-40649-7
• Le vichinghe volanti e altre storie d'amore a Vigàta (2015, previously untranslated)
• La regina di Pomerania , novel, 2012
  • Romeo and Juliet in Vigata, German by Annette Kopetzki, Nagel & Kimche, Zurich 2015. ISBN 978-3-312-00647-2
• L'intermittenza , Roman, 2014
  • Dropouts, German by Markus Kayser, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2015. ISBN 978-3-463-40616-9
• Donne , portraits of women, 2014
  • Women, German by Annette Kopetzki, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2017. ISBN 978-3-463-40669-5
• La relazione , novel, 2014
  • Die Verlockung, German by Karin Krieger, Nagel & Kimche, Zurich 2016. ISBN 978-3-312-00996-1
• La cappella di famiglia e altre storie di Vigàta (2016, previously untranslated)
• Noli me tangere , novel, 2016
  • Don't touch me, German by Annette Kopetzki, Nagel & Kimche, Zurich 2017. ISBN 978-3-312-01034-9
• La targa , novel, 2015
  • The inscription, German by Annette Kopetzki, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2018. ISBN 978-3-463-40676-3
• Inseguendo un'ombra , novel, 2014
  • Hunt for a shadow, German by Annette Kopetzki, Nagel & Kimche, Zurich 2018. ISBN 978-3-312-01086-8
• Certi momenti , novel, 2015
  • Certain moments, German by Annette Kopetzki, Kindler, Reinbek near Hamburg 2019. ISBN 978-3-463-40680-0
• Ora dimmi di te: Lettera a Matilda , 2018
  • Letter to Matilda. An Italian Life, German by Annette Kopetzki, Kindler, Hamburg 2019. ISBN 978-3-463-00002-2 )
• Km 123 , novel, 2019
  • Kilometer 123, German by Annette Kopetzki; Kindler, Hamburg 2020. ISBN 978-3-463-00010-7

Radio plays and audio books

Many of Camillilli's works were made into radio plays in Italy . Some radio plays were also produced in Germany, including some short thrillers, as well as parts 1 to 8 of the Montalbano series. The German Montalbano radio plays were produced by SWR and DLR and distributed by Lübbe Audio. Speakers were Gerd Wameling as Commissario Montalbano, who also recorded audio books in this role, Andreas Pietschmann as Fazio, Frauke Poolman as Livia and Horst Mendroch . The background music is composed by Henrik Albrecht . Directed by Leonhard Koppelmann .

• 2000: The shape of water , (SWR, director: Leonhard Koppelmann )
• 2001: The Terracotta Dog , (SWR, Director: Leonhard Koppelmann )
• 2001: The Thief of Sweet Things , (SWR, Director: Leonhard Koppelmann )
• 2002: The Voice of the Violin , (SWR, Director: Leonhard Koppelmann )
• 2002: The moody island , AUDIOBUCH Verlag , Freiburg, audio book spoken by Frank Arnold , 3 CDs (unabridged), ISBN 3-933199-90-5 and ISBN 3-89964-146-9
• 2003: The Game of the Patriarch , (SWR, Director: Leonhard Koppelmann )
• 2004: The gentleman of the late hour , (SWR, director: Leonhard Koppelmann )
• 2004: Commissario Montalbano e la lettera anonima. The [interactive] audio book for learning languages ​​with selected short stories , digital publishing, Munich, text book, 1 audio CD and 1 CD-Rom. Speaker Marco Montemarano (contains: La lettera anonima / Una gigantessa dal sorriso gentile / Il compagno del viaggio / Being here ... ), ISBN 3-89747-349-6 , published by Montadori in 1998
• 2009: Toter Mann , Der Audio Verlag (DAV) Berlin, radio play with Gerd Wameling , Udo Schenk a . a. 1 CD 54 min., ISBN 978-3-89813-812-3 (first broadcast: 2007 DKultur )
• 2010: The trace of the fox , Lübbe Audio Cologne, audio book spoken by Bodo Wolf 4 CDs 254 min., ISBN 978-3-7857-4371-3
• 2012: The Akragas coin , RADIOROPA audio book, audio book spoken by Josef Tratnik, 2 CDs 146 min (unabridged), ISBN 978-3-8368-0644-2
• 2013: Die Sekt der Engel , RADIOROPA audio book, audio book spoken by Ronny Great, 1 CD 483 min (unabridged), ISBN 978-3-8368-0703-6
• 2014: The Revolution of the Moon , RADIOROPA audio book, audio book spoken by Ronny Great, 1 CD 525 min (unabridged), ISBN 978-3-8368-0741-8
• 2019: Letter to Matilda. An Italian Life, GOYA LiT Hamburg, audio book spoken by Rolf Nagel, ISBN 978-3-8337-4143-2

Autobiographical

• Saverio Lodato: Andrea Camilleri. My life . (Original title: La Linea Della Palma , 2002) Conversations. Translated by Monika Lustig. 2005, ISBN 978-3-492-04523-0
• Lorenzo Rossi: Café Vigàta - Interview with Andrea Camilleri . (Original title: Caffè Vigàta , 2002) Translated by Moshe Kahn. 2008, ISBN 978-3-7857-1617-5
• Bonina, Gianni Il carico da undici. The Andrea Camilleri menu. Intervista - Saggio - Trame Lorenzo Barbera Editore, Siena 2007

Commissario Montalbano

Salvo Montalbano is the main character in Andrea Camilleri's crime novels. Montalbano works as a commissioner in the fictional town of Vigàta in Sicily, based on Camillini's birthplace, Porto Empedocle. The superordinate provincial town of Montelusa corresponds to today's Agrigento . While Monte Lusa is proven there as a field name, the place name Vigàta is formed in analogy to the Sicilian city Licata . The assignment can be seen, for example, in Chapter 5 of the book The Thief of Sweet Things , where the real existing village of Villaseta is set in relation to the fictional places Monte Lusa and Vigàta.

At the start of the crime series, Montalbano is a man in his forties; his birthday is September 6, 1950, exactly 25 years after that of the author Camilleri. Typical of him is his predilection for Sicilian cuisine (a glossary of the dishes he valued can be found in the appendix to the German translations), for literature, as well as a pronounced sense of justice and a sometimes unconventional approach. He is a "sbirro nato" ('a born bull'), often instinctively perceives details and connections that are essential for the investigation and often experiences the solution of the case as if through spontaneous enlightenment by reflecting on trivial experiences that are also entirely outside the case can lie.

He is often moody and irritable towards his fellow men and is very dependent on the weather. Descriptions of the weather are often used by Camilleri to describe Montalbano's mood as well. Especially his colleagues and his long-term fiancée Livia Burlando from Boccadasse , a district of Genoa , suffer from his moods. His most important colleagues are his deputy Domenico "Mimì" Augello, Fazio, Gallo, Galluzzo and Catarella, who is distinguished by a simple mind.

Montalbano has a deep affection for his homeland Sicily, he doesn't like to travel. Sicily and its peculiarities of culinary, linguistic and cultural nature are always the subject of the books. Linguistically, this is reflected in the use of Sicilian expressions and syntactic peculiarities. Sicilian terms are retained and explained in the German translation. These expressions are not specifically explained in the Italian original.

In the course of the book series, Montalbano went through a development in his private life as well as in his attitude to his work as a police officer. In addition to his relationship with Livia, which is characterized by disputes about a possible marriage and children, he sometimes feels drawn to other women, such as the Swede Ingrid, whom he met in the first volume. More and more often he is plagued by old age or the fear of getting older. He is increasingly disgusted by the changes in society, the political situation, and the increasing cruelty and brutality that are revealed in the crimes.

Via Montalbano, Camilleri addresses current problems in Italy. In “The Cold Smile of the Sea” he deals with the problem of illegal immigrants and the human trafficking associated with them and, based on the events at the G8 summit in Genoa, makes Montalbano think about his resignation. Other books deal with changes in crime caused by the Internet (in “The Patriarch's Game”) or changes within the Mafia (in “The Terracotta Dog”). The Montalbano crime novels are characterized by social criticism. Montalbano takes an exceptionally critical stance towards the actions of Silvio Berlusconi , without his name ever being mentioned in the novels. Camilleri, who joined the Communist Party of Italy as a young man , expressed himself outside of his writings on the political situation in Italy until his death.

Another peculiarity of the Montalbano crime novels are the frequent literary allusions. The name Montalbano is already inspired by the Spanish crime writer Montalbán, but the names of authors such as William Shakespeare , Luigi Pirandello , William Faulkner or Edgar Allan Poe, as well as names of their works, allusions and direct quotations , keep appearing in the novels themselves . This is particularly pronounced in “Cavalier of the Late Hour”, when Montalbano feels reminded of a short story by Faulkner through the developments in the case. This is reproduced in extracts and contrasted with the action. The dialogues also take on a coloring that is strongly reminiscent of absurd theater. Inter- and metatextuality thus represent a further specialty of the Montalbano crime novels, which one also encounters in Camilleri's other novels, for example in “The Mills of the Lord”.

Translations into German

Schahrzad Assemi translated the first volume of the Montalbano books into German, Christiane von Bechtolsheim the next ten. Then Moshe Kahn , who had already translated numerous historical novels by Andrea Camilleri into German, took over this task. Walter Kögler and Rita Seuss have been the German translators of the Montalbano crime novels since “The Days of Doubt”.

Sicilian dialect in the original version

A special peculiarity of Camilleri is to use the Sicilian dialect in his novels. If this is initially only done very finely and with a few words and if its use is also dependent on the people ("simple people" speaks dialect), this is increasingly integrated into the narrator descriptions from novel to novel. The highlight is the volume Morte in mare aperto , published in 2014, which contains eight short novels that are set in the 80s. Here there are only dialect passages page by page, both in the dialogue and in the narrator's descriptions. While Montalbano increasingly speaks dialect with his subordinates in the novels, he communicates in standard Italian with higher-ranking people and also with his partner Livia, who comes from northern Italy. But here, too, typical Sicilianisms are sometimes incorporated, such as 'travagliare', 'taliare' or 'accattare' for standard Italian 'lavorare', 'guardare' and 'comprare' ('work', 'look' or 'buy'). The use of the Sicilian prepositional accusative in some standard Italian text passages is also striking . The policeman Catarella, for example, always speaks in dialect, and in his efforts to speak standard Italian, he makes a number of mistakes and hyper-correctisms. In the translation of the novels this specific peculiarity is lost, which also gives the novels authenticity.

Sicilian	Italian rough translation for comparison	German rough translation for comparison
Quanno che arrivò 'n trattoria, sò patre era già assittato a un tavolino conzato per dù e l'aspittava talianno la tilevisioni la quali diciva che oramà il Papa, pur essenno ancora in prognosi riservata, era del tutto fora dal pricolo di vita.	Quando arrivò in trattoria, suo padre era già seduto ad un tavolino apparecchiato per due e l'aspettava guardando la televisione che diceva che ormai il Papa, pur essendo ancora in prognosi riservata, era del tutto fuori dal pericolo di vita.	When he arrived at the inn, his father was already sitting at a table set for two and waiting for him while he watched television, where it was said that the Pope, although his health was still serious, was now completely out of danger.
Garlando Pitrella che, andato a trovare la mogliere in casa di Gisuè, s'era dovuto allettare per una botta di tirzana. Il re di Girgenti Sellerio editore, Palermo 2001, p. 222	Garlando Pitrella che, andato a trovare la moglie in casa di Gisuè, s'era dovuto coricare al letto per un attacco di malaria.	Girlando Pitrella, who visited his wife in the Gisuè house, had to go to bed because of a malaria case.
S'ammuciava le minne con un vrazzo e la natura con una mano. Il re di Girgenti Sellerio editore, Palermo 2001, p. 15	Si copriva il seno con un braccio ed il pube con una mano.	She covered her breasts with one arm and her pubic parts with one hand.
Io sono in testa alla società che fornisce gli spalloni portuali. Il birraio di Preston Sellerio editore, Palermo 2004, 34th edition, p. 163	Io comando la società che mette a disposizione gli scaricatori portuali.	I am the head of the company that provides the dock workers.

TV series Il Commissario Montalbano

Montalbano's house in the film.

In 1999, the Italian television RAI began broadcasting the series Il Commissario Montalbano . So far (June 2016) 28 episodes have been broadcast. The role of Commissario Montalbano is played by the Italian actor Luca Zingaretti . Montalbano's girlfriend Livia Burlando is played by Katharina Böhm (seasons 1 to 8), Lina Perned (season 9) and Sonia Bergamasco (season 10). The scripts for the films were written by Francesco Bruni, Salvatore De Mola and Angelo Pasquini in close collaboration with Andrea Camilleri and are not limited to an exact reproduction of the literary originals, but rather develop characters and locations in an independent way.

The landscapes and cities of Sicily play an important role in the Montalbano films. The film recordings come mostly from the east of Sicily from the cities of Scicli , Modica and Ragusa . The places described in the books are in the province of Agrigento . The Commissario's house by the sea has a special meaning for the series. The house used as a film set is on Punta Secca beach in the village of Santa Croce Camerina .

Films broadcast so far

No.	Italian film title (first broadcast)	German film title (dubbing)	German premiere
1	Il ladro di merendine (1999)	The Thief of Sweet Things (2001) DVD title: Deadly Atonement	September 16, 2001 ( ZDF )
2	La voce del violino (1999)	The Voice of the Violin (2001) DVD title: Double Game	September 23, 2001 (ZDF)
3	La forma dell 'acqua (2000)	The shape of water (2001) DVD title: Tiefer Fall	02.09.2001 (ZDF)
4th	Il cane di terracotta (2000)	The Terracotta Dog (2001) DVD title: Beyond Death	09.09.2001 (ZDF)
5	La gita a Tindari (2001)	The Patriarch's Game (2011)	April 24th, 2011 ( Servus TV )
6th	Tocco d'artista (2001)	From the hand of the artist (2011)	April 17th, 2011 (Servus TV)
7th	The senso del tatto (2002)	Love and Brotherhood (2011)	May 1st, 2011 (Servus TV)
8th	Gli Arancini di Montalbano (2002)	Montalbano's Arancini (2011)	May 8th, 2011 (Servus TV)
9	L'odore della notte (2002)	The Cavalier of the Late Hour (2011)	May 15, 2011 (Servus TV)
10	Gatto e cardellino (2002)	The Cat and the Goldfinch (2011)	May 17th, 2011 (Servus TV)
11	Il giro di boa (2005)	The Cold Smile of the Sea (2011)	May 29, 2011 (Servus TV)
12	Par Condicio (2005)	Tie (2011)	05.06.2011 (Servus TV)
13	La pazienza del ragno (2006)	The Passion of the Silent Avenger (2011)	June 19, 2011 (Servus TV)
14th	Il gioco delle tre carte (2006)	Caraway Leaf (2011)	06/12/2011 (Servus TV)
15th	La vampa d'agosto (2008)	The black soul of summer (2011)	06/26/2011 (Servus TV)
16	Le Ali della Sfinge (2008)	The Wings of the Sphinx (2011)	July 3rd, 2011 (Servus TV)
17th	La pista di sabbia (2008)	The Trail of the Fox (2011)	07/10/2011 (Servus TV)
18th	La luna di carta (2008)	The Dark Truth of the Moon (2011)	07/17/2011 (Servus TV)
19th	Il campo del vasaio (2011)	The Ritual of Vengeance (2013)	July 2nd, 2013 (Servus TV)
20th	La danza del gabbiano (2011)	The Dance of the Seagull (2013)	07/09/2013 (Servus TV)
21st	La caccia al tesoro (2011)	The Hunt for Treasure (2013)	July 16, 2013 (Servus TV)
22nd	L'età del dubbio (2011)	The Days of Doubt (2013)	07/23/2013 (Servus TV)
23	Il sorriso di Angelica (2013)	Angelika's Smile (2015)	07/20/2015 (Servus TV)
24	Il gioco degli specchi (2013)	In the mirror cabinet (2015)	07/27/2015 (Servus TV)
25th	Una voce di notte (2013)	A Voice in the Night (2015)	08/03/2015 (Servus TV)
26th	Una lama di luce (2013)	Foreboding (2015)	08/10/2015 (Servus TV)
27	Una faccenda delicata (2016)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
28	La piramide di fango (2016)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
29	Un covo di vipere (2017)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
30th	Come voleva la prassi (2017)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
31	La giostra degli scambi (2018)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
32	Amore (2018)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
33	L'altro capo del filo (2019)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
34	Un diario del '43 (2019)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)

Most of the films are based on the substance of the crime novels of the same name. However, the order in which the episodes were broadcast does not consistently correspond to the order in which the novels were published.

The other films were modeled on single or combined short stories from three short story collections:
• Un mese con Montalbano (1998, German: Das Paradies der kleine Sünder , 2001): episodes 6, 10, 12, 21 and 27, 32
• Gli arancini di Montalbano (1999, German: The Night of the Lonely Dreamer , 2002): Episodes 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 27 and 30, 32
• Morte in mare aperto e altre indagini del giovane Montalbano (2014, German: The honest thief: Commissario Montalbano has a heart for little sinners , 2015): Episode 30.

The German ZDF synchronized the first four episodes and broadcast them under their own titles (which differ from the book titles), but did not continue the series afterwards. All other films (apart from the four episodes of the 10th and 11th seasons from 2016 and 2017) were dubbed and broadcast by the Austrian private broadcaster Servus TV. All episodes in German dubbing are distributed on DVD.

TV series Il giovane Montalbano

Since February 2012 the Italian television RAI has been broadcasting a prequel for the television series "Il Commissario Montalbano". Stories of the young Montalbano are shown. There were 6 episodes. 6 more episodes have been shown since October 2015. Michele Riondino plays the role of inspector and Gianluca Maria Tavarelli directs the film .

The scripts for the first six films are based on short stories from the books The Paradise of Little Sinner (2001), The Night of the Lonely Dreamer (2002), The Revenge of the Fair Sex (2004) and The False Charm of Retribution (2005). The six films of the second season are the short novels from the Morte Collection in mare aperto e altre indagini del giovane Montalbano (2014, German The honest thief: Commissario Montalbano has a heart for little sinners , 2015), another five short stories from The Paradise of the Little ones Sünder (2001) as well as two stories that have not yet been published in German. A German version of the second season is in progress.

Films broadcast so far

No.	Italian film title (first broadcast)	German film title (dubbing)	German premiere
1	La prima indagine (02/23/2012)	Montalbano's first case	07/30/2013 ( Servus TV )
2	Capodanno (March 1st, 2012)	New Year's Eve	08/06/2013 (Servus TV)
3	Ritorno alle origini (03/08/2012)	San Calorio	08/13/2013 (Servus TV)
4th	Ferito a morte (03/15/2012)	A diabolical plan	08/20/2013 (Servus TV)
5	Il terzo segreto (March 22, 2012)	The third secret	08/27/2013 (Servus TV)
6th	Sette Lunedì (March 29, 2012)	Seven Mondays	03.09.2013 (Servus TV)
7th	L'uomo che andava appresso ai funerali (14.09.2015)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
8th	La stanza numero due (09/21/2015)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
9	Morte in mare aperto (09/28/2015)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
10	La transazione (05/10/2015)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
11	Il ladro onesto (October 12, 2015)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)
12	Un'albicocca (October 19, 2015)	(no translation yet)	(not yet broadcast)

Vigàta

In April 2003 the municipality of Porto Empedocle , the birthplace of Camilleris, added the name Porto Empedocle Vigàta to the place name signs . Vigàta is the name of the imaginary city where Camilleris are set in many novels. This was reversed in 2009 by Mayor Calogero Firetto. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported in May 2011 about an intended complete renaming of Camilleri's hometown in Vigàta.

Web links

Commons : Andrea Camilleri  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Andrea Camilleri in the catalog of the German National Library
• Andrea Camilleri in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Andrea Camilleri's website. Archived from the original on June 20, 2016 ; accessed on March 7, 2018 . 
• Valeria Perucco: Camilleri: This trip through Sicily to Germany was beautiful and interesting . 2006 (Camilleri's German translations as the subject of a thesis)
• Camilleri linguaggio, a dictionary of some Sicilian expressions in Camilleri's novels . (Italian)
• Short biography and reviews of works by Andrea Camilleri at perlentaucher.de
• Overview: all Montalbano short stories (Italian and German titles, editions, films)

Interviews

• I will always miss Sicily . Interview in the literary magazine Berliner Zimmer
• Signore Schlitzohr - Interview with the book journal
• Not an American action cop - Deutschlandfunk Buchmarkt
• Listen to money less. Europe will only survive if one goes back to the foundations , in: Lettre International 110, Fall 2015, pp. 57–60

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ndr.de: Andrea Camilleri is dead.Retrieved July 17, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Mourning for bestselling author Camilleri , deutschlandfunkkultur.de, published and accessed on July 17, 2019.
3. ↑ Andrea Camilleri admitted to clinic with cardiac arrest , wp.de, published and accessed on June 17, 2019
4. ↑ A dialogue in the text suggests that this volume was written directly after "La pista di sabbia".
5. ↑ In a note at the end of the book, the author explains that this volume was written earlier - at least before the "reconciliation" with Livia at the end of "Una lama di luce".
6. ↑ In a note at the end of the book, the author explains that this volume was written back in 2008.
7. ↑ Not referred to as a "collection of short stories" in the blurb, but as a "collection of short novels".
8. ↑ The novel was written in 2005 and revised in 2016. Allegedly, the author gave the novel to the publisher for posthumous publication in 2005 (reference: faz.net (7 August 2020))
9. ↑ On Luigi Pirandello cf. also the swapped son .
10. ↑ Andrea Camilleri, Carlo Lucarelli: The sweet face of death . Hamburg 2011, p. 66.
11. ↑ On "tirzana, terzana, quartana" for malaria sa "... una volta e per semper la terzana" La stagione della caccia Sellerio editore, Palermo 2007, 34th edition, p. 30 or "... s'incazzò per febbri terzane e quartene ... "in Il birraio di Preston Sellerio editore, Palermo 2004, 34th edition, p. 45
12. ↑ In König Zosimo Wagenbach, Berlin 2003, p. 177: "Master Girlando Pitrella, who, because he visited his wife in the Gisuès house, was able to enjoy a good beating."
13. ↑ Camilleri describes a figure called Venus pudica in art-historical iconography .
14. ↑ In König Zosimo Wagenbach, Berlin 2003, p. 15 translated: "To his left, in a corner, was a woman, she was completely naked, without even a centimeter of cloth on her body, and stroked her breasts with one arm and with one hand over her gender. "
15. ↑ Camilleri uses and explains the term “spalloni” as early as 1980 in his book Un filo di fumo Sellerio editore, Palermo 2003, 20th edition, p. 66f (Garzanti p. 58).
16. ^ In Die Sicilianische Oper Piper, Munich / Zurich 2000, p. 180, translated as follows: "I manage the company that provides the port workers for smuggling."
17. ↑ see also Clausi, Maurizio, Leone Davide, Lo Bocchiamo, Giuseppe, Pancucci Amarù, Alice & Ragusa, Daniela I luoghi di Montalbano. Una guida Sellerio editore, Palermo 2006
18. ↑ ^{a b} Overview of all Montalbano short stories. at books reviews. Retrieved March 12, 2019 . 
19. ↑ Bavaria Media: The young Montalbano , at screening.bavaria-media.de, accessed on May 17, 2018
20. ^ Porto Empedocle diventa Vigata, Ora esiste la città di Montalbano . In: La Repubblica , April 28, 2003 (Italian)
21. ^ Café Vigata. Andrea Camilleri in conversation . ( Memento of November 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) literaturzeitschrift.de, review; Retrieved December 20, 2012
22. ↑ Writer becomes namesake - a city as it is written . In: FAZ , May 20, 2011