Michael Dibdin(21 March 1947 – 30 March 2007)[1]was a Britishcrime fictionwriter, best known for inventing Aurelio Zen, the principal character in 11 crime novels set in Italy.
Early life
editDibdin was born inWolverhampton,Staffordshire(nowWest Midlands), England. The son of a physicist, he was brought up from the age of seven inLisburn,Northern Ireland,where he attended theFriends' Schooland was taught byJames Simmons.[1]He graduated with a degree in English fromSussex University,and then went to study for aMaster's degreeat theUniversity of AlbertainEdmonton,Alberta, Canada.
Career
editAfter publishing his first novel, aSherlock Holmespastiche,he lived for four years in Italy, teaching at the university inPerugia.
Dibdin is best known for his Aurelio Zen mysteries, set in Italy.[2]The first of these,Ratking,won theGold Daggeraward of 1988. This series of detective novels provide a penetrating insight into the less visible aspects of Italian society over the last 20 years. The earlier books have a lightness of touch that gradually becomes much darker. The character of Zen himself isanti-heroic,which adds much to the books' irony and black humour. A final Zen book,End Games,appeared posthumously in July 2007.
He also wrote other detective works set in America and in the UK.
Personal life
editDibdin eventually settled inSeattle, Washington,United States.
Dibdin was married three times, most recently to the novelistK. K. Beck.He died in Seattle on 30 March 2007, aged 60, following a short illness.
Bibliography
editAurelio Zen series
edit- Ratking(1988)
- Vendetta(1990)
- Cabal(1992)
- Dead Lagoon(1994)
- Cosi Fan Tutti(1996)
- A Long Finish(1998)
- Blood Rain(1999)
- And Then You Die(2002)
- Medusa(2003)
- Back to Bologna(2005)
- End Games(2007)
Other books
edit- The Last Sherlock Holmes Story(1978)
- A Rich Full Death(1986)
- The Tryst(1989)
- Dirty Tricks(1991)
- The Dying of the Light(1993)
- Dark Spectre(1995)ISBN0-571-17523-6
- Thanksgiving(2000)
References
edit- ^abChristopher Hawtree (4 April 2007)."Guardian obituary".The Guardian.Retrieved9 January2021.
- ^Patricia Prandini Buckler (2014).Bloody Italy: Essays on Crime Writing in Italian Settings.McFarland. p. 177.ISBN978-0-7864-5864-6.
External links
edit- Michael DibdinatBritish Council:Literature
- BBC obituary
- Daily Telegraph obituary
- January Magazine Interview: Michael Dibdin
- BBC Programme page: Zen
Video
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