The study of crime fiction is an increasingly popular area for academic study and also attracts an immense general readership: crime novels feature at the top of bestseller lists in many European countries. Crime fiction, in all its various manifestations, represents one of the most popular contemporary literary genres.
Series editors: Claire Gorrara, Cardiff University, Shelley Godsland, Manchester Metropolitan University and Giuliana Pieri, University of London.
This book constitutes an introduction to crime writing in Italian from its first development in the 1930s to the present day. It explores the distinctive features of the Italian tradition, such as the close links with the American and French tradition and the social commentary which characterises much crime fiction in Italian in the post-war period. This study focuses on novels by selected Italian writers, some of whom have an established international reputation, such as Leonardo Sciascia and Umberto Eco, whilst others may be relatively unknown, such as the new generation of crime writers of the Bologna school, and analyses the contribution crime fiction makes more generally to contemporary Italian and European culture. The book will be written in an accessible style aimed at undergraduates and does not assume any previous knowledge of Italian Crime Fiction. And will also appeal to the general, informed reader. All extracts in Italian will be translated into English.
Dr. Giuliana Pieri is lecturer in Italian at Royal Holloway, University of London. She has previously published for Legenda, Oxford and has contributed to numerous journals. The Contributors are drawn from British and Irish universities.