Comedian who became best-selling novelist
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| Giorgio Faletti had a varied career before becoming a best-selling novelist |
Giorgio Faletti, who became a best-selling thriller writer,
was born on this day in 1950 in Asti in Piedmont.
He was a successful actor, comedian, and singer-songwriter
before he turned his hand to writing fiction. His first thriller, I Kill (Io
uccido), sold more than four million copies.
Faletti’s books have now been published in 25 languages
throughout Europe, South America, China, Japan, Russia and the US.
Faletti graduated from law school but then began a career as
a comedian at the Milanese Club ‘Derby’.
In 1983 he made his debut on local television before
appearing alongside the popular hostess and former actress, Raffaella Carrà, on RAI’s daytime game
show, Pronto, Raffaella? He was cast as a comedian in the popular variety show,
Drive In, which was followed by other television successes.
He wrote the soundtrack for a TV series in which he was one
of the main actors and then released an album of his songs.
In 1992 he took part in the San Remo Music Festival with
Orietta Berti with the song Rumba di tango.
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| The cover of Giorgio Faletti's debut thriller, I Kill |
In 1994, performing his own song, Signor tenente, he came
second at San Remo. In all, he recorded
six albums. His last, entitled Nonsense, was released in 2000.
A motor racing enthusiast, Falleti began his writing career by penning a column for the
Italian weekly magazine, Autosprint.
His first book was the humorous book, Porco il mondo che cio
sotto I piedi! in 1994. His second book came as a surprise, the thriller, I Kill (Io uccido).
The book sold four million copies and the follow-up, The
Killer In My Eyes (Niente di vero tranne gli occhi), three million and a half
copies.
The writer Jeffery Deaver said of Faletti: ‘In my neck of
the woods, people like Faletti are called larger than life, living legends.’
In November 2005 Faletti received the De Sica Prize for
literature from the President of the Italian Republic.
The following year, in which he released his novel Outside
Of An Evident Destiny (Fuori da un evidente destino) he starred in the film Notte
prima degli esami (First Night of the Exams), in which he was nominated for the
David di Donatello Award for best supporting actor. It was the first of several acting roles.
In recognition of his literary achievements, Faletti was
appointed president of the Astense Library, the civic library of Asti, in 2012. The library subsequently became home to the Fondazione
Biblioteca Astense Giorgio Faletti.
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| Faletti was asked to sign his name on the Muretto di Alassio |
After his successes in music and literature, he was invited
to sign his name on the Muretto di Alassio, a wall in the Ligurian resort of
Alassio embedded with ceramic tiles, each bearing the signature of a
celebrity.
Married to Roberta Bellesini, with whom he shared a house on
the island of Elba, he died of lung cancer in Turin in 2014, aged 63.
Travel tip:
Asti, where Faletti was born, is a city in the Piedmont
region of Turin, famous for its high-quality wines, Moscato d’Asti, a sparkling
white wine and Barbera, a prestigious red wine.
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| Piazza Castello is at the heart of royal Turin |
Travel tip:
Turin, where Faletti died, was once the capital of Italy and
its shopping streets reflect its former prestige, with 18km (11 miles) of arcades
featuring the top names in fashion and jewellery. It is an important business
centre and has architecture demonstrating its rich history, which is linked
with the Savoy Kings of Italy. Piazza Castello, with the royal palace, royal
library and Palazzo Madama, which used to house the Italian senate, is at the
heart of ‘royal’ Turin.