Maurizio de Giovanni (born March 31, 1958, in
Naples) is an Italian author of mystery novels.
Maurizio De Giovanni
Biography
Maurizio de Giovanni was born in Naples in 1958; he has spent the majority of his life living and working there. In 2005 he decided to join a Porsche Italia competition reserved for
giallo novelists, and that's where he came up with the character of Commissario Ricciardi, main protagonist of his first short story, “I vivi e I morti”. This was the start of his career as a writer. Subsequently, I Vivi e i morti served as an inspiration for Le lacrime del pagliaccio (reissued as Il senso del dolore (2007), later translated as I will have vengeance – The winter of commissario Ricciardi), whose detective Ricciardi then became the protagonist for a series of very popular murder novels.
Following this, in 2008, Blood curse – The springtime of commissario Ricciardi was released. In 2009 came Everyone in their place – The summer of commissario Ricciardi and finally, in 2010, The day of the dead – The autumn of commissario Ricciardi was released. He started to gain a wider audience and made a name for himself because of this series.
In 2011 he had his first book published by Einaudi, By my hand – A commissario Ricciardi mystery.
In 2012 de Giovanni wrote in the
noir genre with a book titled The Crocodile (Il metodo del coccodrillo), introducing a new main character, Ispettore Lojacono.
In the same year, together with Einaudi, he published the pocket version of the seasons’ novels and the brand new Viper – A commissario Ricciardi mystery.
In 2013 The Bastards of Pizzofalcone (I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone) was released. The book was inspired by the
87th Precinct novels from author
Ed McBain, and marked De Giovanni's transition from the noir genre to the
police procedural. Soon after, he published Darkness for the Bastards of Pizzofalcone (Buio per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone), the second entry in what would become the 'Pizzofalcone' novels. In 2017, The Bastards of Pizzofalcone was adapted as a televisions series
of the same name for
Rai 1.
In the same month as Darkness was completed, his short story Un giorno di Settembre a Natale, contained in the anthology Regalo di Natale, was published by the editor Sellerio.
2014 was a prolific year for de Giovanni. Not only were 15 of his noir stories released in the Mani insanguinate anthology, he also had two new novels published: Bottom of your heart (by Einaudi) and Gelo per i bastardi di Pizzofalcone.
In 2015, Glass souls, the 8th installment in the Ricciardi's series, was released. In the same year, he appeared at an event at the Italian Cultural Institute in
Edinburgh, in conversation with academic
Raffaella Ocone discussing the success of the detective story.[1]
In 2016, de Giovanni had both Serenata senza nome. Notturno per il commissario Ricciardi and Pane per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone published.
The majority of his works are currently translated into the following languages: English, Spanish, Catalan, French and German.
2006 – Le lacrime del pagliaccio, Graus Editore; re-published in 2007, by Fandango, as Il senso del dolore: l'inverno del commissario Ricciardi.
2008 – La condanna del sangue: la primavera del commissario Ricciardi, Fandango
2009 – Il posto di ognuno: l'estate del commissario Ricciardi, Fandango
2010 – Il giorno dei morti: l'autunno del commissario Ricciardi, Fandango
2011 – Per mano mia: il Natale del commissario Ricciardi, Einaudi
2012 – L'omicidio Carosino: le prime indagini del commissario Ricciardi, Cento Autori[3]
2012 – Vipera: nessuna resurrezione per il commissario Ricciardi,[4] Einaudi
2014 – "Febbre" (short story contained in the anthology Giochi criminali),[5] Einaudi
2014 – In fondo al tuo cuore: inferno per il commissario Ricciardi,[6] Einaudi
2015 – Anime di vetro: falene per il commissario Ricciardi, Einaudi
2016 – Serenata senza nome. Notturno per il commissario Ricciardi, Einaudi
2017 – Rondini d'inverno: sipario per il commissario Ricciardi, Einaudi
2018 – Il purgatorio dell'angelo: confessioni per il commissario Ricciardi, Einaudi
Ispettore Lojacono
2012 – Il metodo del coccodrillo, Mondadori
I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone series
2013 – I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Einaudi
2013 – Buio per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Einaudi
2014 – Gelo per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Einaudi
2015 – Cuccioli per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Einaudi
2016 – Pane per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Einaudi
2017 – Souvenir per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Einaudi
2018 – Vuoto per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Einaudi
2019 – Nozze per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Einaudi
2020 – Fiori per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Einaudi
2021 – Angeli per i Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Einaudi
Articles and short stories about sports
2008 – Juve-Napoli 1–3: la presa di Torino, Cento Autori
2009 – Ti racconto il 10 maggio, Cento Autori
2010 – Miracolo a Torino: Juve Napoli 2–3, Cento Autori
2010 – Storie azzurre, Cento Autori (anthology)
2010 – "Maradona è meglio 'e Pelé" (short article contained in Per segnare bisogna tirare in porta, Spartaco)
2014 – La partita di pallone: storie di calcio,[7] Sellerio editore (anthology)
2015 – Il resto della settimana, Rizzoli
Miscellaneous
2005 – Il maschio dominante, Graus & Boniello
2007 – Le beffe della cena ovvero piccolo manuale dell'intrattenimento in piedi, Kairòs
2010 – L'ombra nello specchio, Kairòs
2010 – Mammarella, Cagliostro ePress
2011 – "Scusi, un ricordo del terremoto dell'ottanta?" (short story contained in the anthology Trema la terra, Neo edizioni e Una lunga notte, Cento Autori)
2012 – Gli altri fantasmi, Spartaco
2012 – Respirando in discesa, Senza Patria
2012 – Per amore di Nami, Zefiro
2013 – Gli altri, Tunué (comic book derived from Gli altri fantasmi)
2013 – "Un giorno di Settembre a Natale" (short story contained in the anthology Regalo di Natale,[8] Sellerio)
2013 – "Il tappo del 128" (short story contained in the anthology Racconti in sala d'attesa,[9] Caracò)
2014 – Le mani insanguinate, Cento Autori (anthology)
2014 – Verità imperfette,[10] Del Vecchio Editore (co-written with other authors)
2015 – "Ti voglio bene" in Roberto Colonna (editor), Il fantastico. Tradizioni a confronto, Salerno, Edizioni Arcoiris, 2014
2015 – "Istantanee" in Maurizio de Giovanni (editor) Nessuno ci ridurrà al silenzio,[11] Cento Autori (anthology)
2015 – Una mano sul volto, Ad est dell'equatore (contained in an anthology against the violence on women)[12]
2015 – La solitudine dell'anima, Cento Autori (anthology)
ISBN978-88-6872-036-0, a secret short story about a young Ricciardi is contained in this anthology.
2017 – Vita quotidiana dei Bastardi di Pizzofalcone, Einaudi,
ISBN978-8806233938, to accompany the release of the television series I bastardi di Pizzofalcone, de Giovanni gives voice to the characters of the investigative team.
Theatre
Adaptation
2015 – Qualcuno volò sul nido del cuculo, directed by Alessandro Gassmann
^Giordano, Lucio (23 June 2023). "Per me non esiste e per questo vivo un tormento interiore perché continuo a cercarlo e non riesco a trovarlo". Dipiù (in Italian). No. 25. pp. 86–89.
^"Racconti in sala d'attesa". Caracò – Associazione Culturale ed Editore Bologna – Napoli (in Italian). Archived from
the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
^"Verità imperfette". www.delvecchioeditore.com (in Italian). Archived from
the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.