Donna Leon

Donna Leon (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> born September 28, 1942) is the American author of a series of crime novels set in Venice, Italy, featuring the fictional hero Commissario Guido Brunetti. The novels are written in English and have been translated into many foreign languages, althoughTemplate:Sndat Leon's requestTemplate:Sndnot into Italian, as she formerly lived there, still visits monthly, and prefers not to have recognition in the country.<ref name=Rustin2017 />

Early life and education

Donna Leon was born on September 28, 1942<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Montclair, New Jersey,<ref>Template:Cite news "Some 25 years ago, an English teacher and opera expert originally from Montclair, N.J., felt the lure of the lagoons and adopted Venice as her home. Now Donna Leon, 67, is the celebrated author of 19 international best sellers (more than two million sold) featuring a shrewd but principled police detective by the name of Guido BrunettiTemplate:Sndand she is finally rewarding her readers with a cookbook of his favorite recipes."</ref> to Roman Catholic parents, who had strong leanings to the Democratic party. Her paternal grandparents were Spanish and her maternal grandparents were Irish and German. She grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey,<ref name=Rustin2017>Template:Cite news</ref> and graduated from Mount Saint Dominic Academy.<ref>Mroz, Jacqueline. "How NJ Native Donna Leon Became an International Bestselling Author", New Jersey Monthly, May 26, 2022. Accessed March 11, 2025. "She was born in Montclair and grew up in Bloomfield, attending Mount St. Dominic Academy high school in Caldwell."</ref> Her parents put a strong focus on education for their daughter.

The Guardian reports: "Leon was teaching in Iran while attempting to complete a PhD about Jane Austen when the revolution of 1978-79 interrupted her studies and her life. When her trunks were returned to her months later, following her hasty evacuation (part of it at gunpoint, on a bus), her papers were gone." She returned to the US and worked in New York City writing advertising copy. When she visited Italy for the first time, she fell in love with the country.<ref name=Rustin2017 />

Teaching and residence

Leon was a lecturer in English literature for the [[University of Maryland University College|University of Maryland University CollegeTemplate:SndEurope]] (UMUC-Europe)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Venice and taught English from 1981 to 1990 at an American military base in Italy.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 2015, Leon left Venice after 30 years and began to split her time between the homes she owns in Switzerland, one in Zürich and another in the mountains.<ref name=Rustin2017 /> Template:As of she resided mainly in the small village of Val Müstair in the mountains of Grisons.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Rustin2017 /> Template:As of she was returning to Venice approximately one week each month.<ref name=Rustin2017 />

In 2020 she became a Swiss citizen.<ref>Krimi-Autorin Donna Leon ist jetzt Schweizerin In: NAU.ch, 10. Oktober 2020.</ref>

Career

Leon wrote a crime novel after seeing a scene she thought belonged in such a novel. She wrote it in 8 months and stuck it in a drawer until a friend persuaded her to submit to a writing contest, which she won.<ref>Template:Cite videoTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Setting and viewpoints of the Brunetti novels

The police commissioner Guido Brunetti confronts crime in and around his home town of Venice. Each case is an opportunity for the author to reveal another aspect of the seamy underside of society and another facet of Venetian life. Brunetti reports to the vain and self-serving buffoon, Vice-Questore Patta, while Sergente (later Ispettore and with the inspector per tu) Vianello and the all-knowing and well-connected Signorina Elettra, Patta's secretary, assist Brunetti on the ground and through research.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

These novels are successful in Germany and have been translated into many languages, though not Italian.<ref name=Rustin2017 />

Recognition and awards

Her Commissario Brunetti novels are written in English, but have been translated into many foreign languages, althoughTemplate:Sndat Leon's requestTemplate:Sndnot into Italian.

The ninth Brunetti novel, Friends in High Places, won the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger in 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2003, she received the Corine Literature Prize.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

German television has produced 26 Commissario Brunetti episodes for broadcast.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Bibliography

Other novels

• The Jewels of Paradise (2012)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Non-fiction

Books

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• Wandering Through Life: A Memoir (2023)
• Backstage: Stories of a writing life (2025)

Books with musical recordings

• Template:Cite book Book and audio recording. WorldCat summary: "A literary, visual, and musical exploration of twelve of Handel's arias referencing animals. Complemented by a CD recording, conducted by Alan Curtis with Karina Gauvin (Soprano), Ann Hallenberg (Mezzo-soprano), Paul Agnew, and Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani (Tenor)."
• Template:Cite book Book and audio recording. Worldcat summary: "Novelist Donna Leon recounts some legendary tales of Venice, offering insight into Venetian customs of the past and present. Includes music CD of seven concertos by Antonio Vivaldi performed by Il Complesso Barocco and conducted by Riccardo Minasi."
• Template:Cite book Book and audio recording. Worldcat summary: "Accompanied by a CD of Italian boat songs, this fascinating history of the gondola, which was first used in medieval Venice as a maneuverable getaway boat, reveals how it evolved over the centuries into a floating pleasure palace that facilitated the romantic escapades of the Venetian elite." Notes: "With a CD of Venetian barcarole performed by Il Pomo d'Oro, conducted by Riccardo Minasi, featuring Vincenzo Capezzuto and Cecilia Bartoli."

Spin-offs

Leon's Commissario Brunetti novels have spawned multiple spin-off enterprises, including:

• A travel guidebook: Template:Cite book
• Walking Tours of Guido Brunetti's Venice with accompanying maps: Dr. Toni Sepeda,"the only lecturer authorized by Donna Leon to conduct events in Brunetti's Venicea", leads individual and group tours of the locations and routes noted in Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti novels.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Further reading

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External links

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• Template:Cite web Interview with Donna Leon and links to more Donna Leon interviews.
• Il Complesso Barocco, official website of conductor/harpsichordist/founder Alan Curtis' Baroque-music orchestra underwritten by Donna Leon.
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