IL FALCONE MALTESE
Specialist Italian Magazine
Etienne Borgers
Translation: Helena Chadderton
The Italian magazine Il Falcone Maltese,
published twice a month by Editions Robin, has existed since 2004
and, as its logo indicates : Gallio & Noir- Il galio
al cinema, nei libri, in tv e nella cronaca , is devoted to all aspects
of the crime novel and the thriller whether it be books, films, TV
or in the news.
In the form of a weighty magazine heavily
illustrated (130 pages in black and white, on thick paper – format
19.5 by 27.5cm), it contains information on the latest publications
in the world of the thriller, novels and essays published in Italy,
with critiques and commentaries. Although Italian authors are well
represented in its pages, most of the books are translations, a
sign of the health of the crime novel sector in Italy.
Most often, examination of these new publications gives rise to
short interviews with the authors, an excellent way of presenting
them to their public. Add to this more in-depth interviews with certain
authors and lengthy articles on the crime novel.
Such as this presentation of the birth
of the crime novel in Italy (“gialli” in Italian – literally meaning yellow – pretty much the
equivalent of the word ‘polar' in French), the article accompanying
the presentation of a recent essay: Un secolo in gallio – Storia
del poliziesco italiano (1860-1960) (A “yellow” century – History
of the detective novel in Italy) by Maurizio Pistelli who
also includes an interview with the author, all of which appear in
the latest issue (no 10- July/August 2006). Sticking with history,
an article in no 8, for example, examined publications on detective
novels in the 1930s, during the era of Italian fascism.
Detailed accounts of festivals and colloquia on the crime novel
in Italy are regularly published in the magazine, following current
events in the field very closely.
Il Falcone Maltese aims
towards plurality and openness to all areas which are more or less
to do with the crime novel, and there are interesting articles
on the protagonists of real life crime scenes, such as the interview
with the director of the Unit for the Analysis of Violent Crimes,
Carlo Bui, or the interview with a legal doctor, Baima Bollone,
professor of legal medicine at the University of Turin – who talks
of the evolution of the job in the face of modern investigative
techniques (no 10).
Expanding the field further, an interview was even recently conducted
with three famous literary critics who write regularly in Italian
newspapers (no 8).
In addition to books, a large part
of the magazine is given over to “crime” cinema, or thriller films. Closely following current events,
the magazine presents films of this genre released in Italy in detail,
but also offers articles dealing more widely with general or localized
subjects, such as the car in film, the music of films, directors
etc. Films released on DVD are also closely examined, highlighting
titles of interest to fans of “thrillers”; these columns also look
back to the great films in history of this genre which are currently
on release on DVD, while providing information or short articles
profiling their directors and actors.
The last area which is examined in detail is that of televised police
serials which, as everyone knows, are fast expanding and appear on
every European channel. Series shown in Italy , whether English,
American, Italian or otherwise, are commented on and analysed (according
to current events and their appearance on different channels available
in Italy ). The release of these televised series on DVD is also
a reason for the magazine to present them in detail. A few articles
also provide short summaries of particular aspects these TV series
have in common.
The addition of columns focusing on cartoon strips, photography
and diverse articles dealing with real life crime add up to an eclectic
mix and no area influenced by the crime novel is ignored in Il
Falcone Maltese which is one of its major interests.
The profusion of black and white photos
illustrating various articles and columns is a welcome bonus; they
accentuate the “magazine” feel
of this publication and make the reading easier.
Il Falcone Maltese provides a very positive response
to the boom that the crime novel is currently experiencing in Italy
: the revue is first rate, a real compass for the fan.
Website
The magazine is promoted by a website, “Il
Falcone Maltese online”,
while providing news on the latest publications of books and DVDs,
film releases and TV programmes. It gives the first paragraphs of
certain articles from the latest issue of the “paper” magazine as
well as all the contents lists of the different issues of Il
Falcone Maltese. You can also subscribe to the magazine
via the online forms.
General Information
Il Falcone Maltese
Via Silla, 35
00192 Roma
Italia
e-mail : falconemaltese@robinedizioni.it
Price per issue: 8 euros
Subscription in Italy for 6 issues (2006 – a
year): 36 euros
Website: http://www.falconemaltese.it/
(also
contains information concerning the “paper” magazine and terms
of subscription)
