GUIDO BRUNETTI
Many years ago the American writer Donna Leon created one of the most compelling detectives in contemporary crime fiction: Commissario Guido Brunetti.
Brunetti is not your stereotypical detective. He is intelligent, thoughtful and deeply connected to Venice, a city he knows not only through its streets and canals, but also through its people, habits and contradictions.
He is happily married to Paola, his intelligent, cultured and slightly snobbish wife, who comes from an old Venetian aristocratic family. Together they have two bright children who grow into thoughtful, socially aware young adults, with a strong sense of responsibility and an increasingly ecological outlook.
At work Brunetti has to contend with his superior, the flamboyant and often buffoonish Vice Questore Patta. Their relationship provides some of the series’ most amusing moments, as Brunetti’s quiet intelligence repeatedly clashes with Patta’s ambition and vanity.
Years ago, I wrote an article exploring the qualities that have made Brunetti such a beloved fictional character, and why readers around the world have become so attached to him and to his Venice:
Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti: Why Is This Fictional Hero So Beloved?
THE CRIME NOVEL: BEYOND THE WHODUNIT
In her latest book, Backstage: Stories of a Writing Life, Donna Leon looks back on her extraordinary life and career with her characteristic wit and sharp sense of humour.
She recalls her early years teaching in Iran, reflects on the writers and books that influenced her—including the importance of and admiration for Ruth Rendell—and offers fascinating glimpses into the Venetians and other people she encountered throughout her life.
For anyone interested in Brunetti and the world Donna Leon created around him, some of the most fascinating passages are those in which she describes how she actually writes her crime novels.
Leon explains that she does not begin by carefully constructing biographies for each character or by mapping out an entire plot. Instead, she sits down at her computer when an idea arrives. She may not know where the story will lead or even exactly when it will take shape, but she recognises the idea when it finally appears.
And perhaps this is one of the secrets of her success.
Donna Leon understands that readers are often less interested in simply discovering who committed the crime than in understanding why it happened. Her novels are therefore much more than traditional whodunits: they explore motives, relationships, human weaknesses and the society in which the crime takes place.
She also knows how to draw readers into the story by making us care about her characters—sometimes admire them, sometimes dislike them, but rarely remain indifferent to them.
I highly recommend Backstage to anyone who would like to discover the woman behind Brunetti and gain a fascinating insight into the creative process that brought this remarkable detective to life.
THE TOUR: FOLLOWING BRUNETTI THROUGH VENICE
Our journey begins in Piazza San Marco, the heart of Venice, before taking us into the world of Brunetti’s investigations and daily life.
We head towards the former Efty Crazy Bar, one of the places associated with the Brunetti universe, and then stop to see the former location of the Questura, Brunetti’s police headquarters in the novels, although the real Questura is now on the mainland.
From there, we continue towards the Venetian hospital, where Brunetti meets his trusted forensic doctor, Dr Ettore Rizzardi.
Finally, we reach the Rialto, with its lively markets, wine bars and narrow streets. This is a part of Venice that Brunetti knows particularly well—and one where he often likes to linger on his way home for lunch.
Following Brunetti through Venice means discovering the city from a different perspective: not simply as a spectacular backdrop, but as a living, breathing character in its own right—a city of hidden corners, everyday rituals, extraordinary beauty and, of course, secrets waiting to be uncovered.
Fiona Giusto
