Saturday, February 23, 2008

Florentine Farewell



How sad to realize that this is the next-to-last book we'll ever have about that chunky, weak-eyed, absolutely fascinating Sicilian policeman, Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia, the ultimate rustic (i.e., Southern) outsider dropped into the sleek world of Florence. Originally published in 1982, DUTCHMAN never appeared in America until this new paperback edition from Soho Crime, Magdalen Nabb's loyal supporter until her death last year.

Nabb was born in Lancashire, England in 1947. She studied art and pottery at the College of Art in Manchester, and it was there that she started writing. While working in a pottery studio in the Italian town of Montelupo Fiorentino, Nabb came up with the idea for her most popular character, Marshal Guarnaccia. From 1975 onward she lived and worked as a journalist and writer in Florence, Italy.

Before her death, Nabb finished the manuscript of Guarnaccia’s last case, VITA NUOVA, which Soho will publish in June.

1 comment:

Martin Edwards said...

I share your admiration for Nabb. I believe health problems slowed her productivity in the years before her untimely death, but she was a fine writer, who deserves to be remembered with admiration.