DONNA LEON - RECENT NEWS!!

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November 2014

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Brunetti #24 - Falling in Love

It will be published in the Spring of 2015 and goes back into the world of opera.

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October 2013

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April 2013 Interview on BBC's Meet the Author

By Its Cover by Donna Leon

Donna's personal comments:  "By Its Cover is concerned with books: their meaning and importance, their theft, and the need to preserve them. Brunetti is given the chance to muse on books as text, books as object, book as historical record. There's a murder, too, but books are far more interesting."

My Venice and other Essays by Donna Leon

Gondola by Donna Leon
Donna's personal comments: "This book/disc contains essays by me about the boat and its importance as a historical monument and a symbol of the city. One of the essays desctrbes Craig's building of one, by himself, over five long years. Another takes a crack at the cruise ships. The music is 17th and 18th century gondola songs, sung by a very good tenorino, with one sung by Cecilia to solo mandolin accompaniment."

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March 2013

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MHz Networks Interview with Donna Leon

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June 2012

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Several months ago, a 7-minute promotional video for the
great La Maga Abbandonata  CD from 2003 was published on YouTube.

Donna has completed two new Novels:

The Jewels of Paradise - a stand-alone novel by Donna Leon

The Golden Egg - Brunetti #22 by Donna Leon

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August 2011

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On April 11, 2011, MHz Networks interviewed Donna Leon. They are posting short video excerpts from the interview on the MHz facebook page.

Author Donna Leon talks about the orgins of Commissario Guido Brunetti, the importance of family in her books, and the beauty of Venice.... (video)

Author Donna Leon talks about the appeal of Commissario Guido Brunetti, the role of humor in the books and what's with all those Henry James references?.... (video)

Donna Leon, author of the Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries, talks about why and how she moved to Venice all those years ago.... (video)

Donna talks about the role of food in the Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries. Ah, to be eating a well-prepared meal in Venice... (video)

Donna talks about the genesis of one of her earliest Commissario Guido Brunetti mysteries... (video)

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June 2011

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Donna Leon's 21st Brunetti novel to be published in April 2012

Working Title: Beastly Things

It has the usual stuff: body in the canal, no one knows who it is. When Brunetti finds out, he discovers that there is no reason at all why this man should have been killed. As he continues to investigate, he turns up adultery, plotting, and strange things about the victim's life and work.

Her next Music Project

The next project with the orchestra Il Complesso Barocco is a disc called Venetian Curiosities, which has seven very well-played Vivaldi concerti and seven short pieces by Donna, telling about seven odd events that form part of the documented, however strange, history of Venice.

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May 2011

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Donna Leon Toronto Book Event

The Toronto Public Library posted a great four-part YouTube Video (75 minutes) of Donna Leon's Toronto book event on April 15, 2011. It is a joy to watch and is highly recommended.

Part One    Part Two    Part Three    Part Four

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Donna Leon Brunetti DVDs are now available in the U.S.

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November 23, 2010: Grove/Atlantic, Inc has announced Donna's 2011 North American Book Tour -- (Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston, New York, Washington DC, Minneapolis, Denver, Philadelphia, Toronto -- April 3-18, 2011)

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November 19, 2010: Mini-Interview with Donna Leon about her latest project: 
    Handel's Bestiary: In Search of Animals in Handel's Operas

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May 6. 2010:  We were in Venice and had morning coffee with Donna and her friend Biba (Roberta Pianaro). We chatted about the launch of Brunetti's Cookbook and Biba's terrific recipes. Biba offered to cook us dinner on our next visit to her beloved Venice.

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March 31, 2010: Jenni Murray talks to Donna Leon on BBC Radio 4

Most literary detectives seem to survive on a diet of whisky, fast food and loneliness. Not so Commissario Brunetti, the hero of Donna Leon's best-selling series set in Venice. Brunetti goes home for extended lunches with his family, and interviews suspects over delicious bar snacks. Now Donna Leon has collected some of the Commissario's favourite recipes in a book and she joins Jenni to discuss her detective and his food.

BBC Radio 4 talks to crime writer, Donna Leon about the new Brunetti Cookbook.

If the above link does not work with your browser, please click following link:
BBC Radio 4 Interview

For the iPhone or iPad click here

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Apr 28 2009: Donna Leon was the featured guest at San Francisco's City Arts and Lectures program. During the 75-minute program, Donna was interviewed and at the end of the program answered many questions asked by the audience. Her answers to two questions, in particular, were newsworthy and are included below:

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Question: One of the things that I enjoy about your books is food and recipes. (applause) This sounds like the third great love of your life.

Donna: Yes. One thing that always interests me when I talk about the books is... Spaniards never comment on the food because, being Mediterranean people, they assume that this is how people live. And Italians would never think to comment on the food because this is how people live. But in Germany, England, America, and to a lesser degree in Austria, people ask, “How is this possible that this is a main responsibility at all?” This is how people live, at least everybody I know eats like this -- at least once a day. There’s a bit of an exageration in the Brunetti family. But Paola has the time. She teaches in an Italian university. She teaches what, three or four hours a week. (laughter) That leaves a lot of time for the pots. And its fun. Italians have an attitude toward cooking. It’s an act of love and an act of creation. There will be and there should be a cookbook. It’s coming out in Germany in November. (see below)  And probably, Grove Atlantic is going to print it next year. But, they haven’t decided. (applause) But, not by me. The recipes will be written in Italian by my friend, Biba-the daughter of Bianca who is the best cook I know. My take on the Italian food mania is on the part of someone who had two Irish grandmothers and a German and a Spanish grandfather. So Italian food to me was a mystery when I went there. I can cook now but only because Biba has been very patient with me. So my uptake gives that sort of cockemania view on Italian food, but the recipes are legit. We ate our way through these recipes last year-believe they are legit.

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Brunetti Cookbook Coming Soon!

German Language Cookbook Publication Date: November 2009		English Title: A Taste of Venice: At Table with Brunetti - Introduction and culinary stories by Donna Leon. (The Engllish Language Cookbook will be published in Spring 2010
		Author BIO Roberta Pianaro, born in 1948, has a jewellery workshop and a much used kitchen. Donna Leon calls Roberta the "Risotto Queen" and often gets to enjoy her cooking. Just as well, for numerous dishes from Roberta’s kitchen are served to the Brunettis as well.

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Question: I am curious about your involvement with the German TV movies.

Donna: There isn’t any involvement. No! The Germans have made sixteen tele-movies. I’ve seen, I think, two of them. I don’t have a television. So it means, I’d have to schlep to someone’s house with my little discs and I’d have to try to translate the German which I don’t speak to Italian.

About three weeks ago my agent, who is my Swiss publisher and they own the copyright, and I went to London and spoke to four different television producers. And the one I liked the most, because she had produced both that old ‘Bleak House’ and the new ‘Little Dorrit.” So it’s probably going to happen with the BBC, but I don’t know anything about it until my agent tells me that they signed the contract. But I sort of think it’s going to happen with the BBC. And they want to do eight and eight and eight. (applause) I don’t want script approval, I don’t want anything, I don’t go to movies so I don’t know who any of the actors are. I just want to be able to make suggestions about the music.