Timothy Williams is a British author who has written five novels featuring Commissario Piero Trotti, a character critics have referred to as a personification of modern Italy. Mr Williams' books include Black August, which was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Award. His novels have been translated into French, Danish, Russian, Bulgarian, Polish, and Japanese.
Mr. Williams was born in Walthamstow (Essex, now London) and attended Woodford Green Preparatory School, the Chigwell School and St Andrews University. He has previously lived in Italy and in Rumania, where he worked for the British Council.
Williams is among the small number of authors writing Italian crime novels in English (including Magdalen Nabb, Michael Dibdin, and Donna Leon, all four of whom were born within a five-year period). Ms. Nabb's Death of an Englishman was published in 1981 and William's Converging Parallels followed in 1982. Mr. Williams is also the author of a soon to be published series of crime novels set in Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean featuring Anne Marie Lavaud, a juge d'instruction. Mr. Williams, who is French, currently lives and teaches in the main lycée of Pointe à Pitre, Guadeloupe.
==Cultural milieu and writing style==
Commissario Trotti investigates crime in a small, unnamed city on the river Po in the north of Italy (sometimes erroneously identified as Padua). Trotti's career spans much of the First Republic, from the period known as the Italian Miracle through the violent Anni di Piombo. This milieu keeps the Polizia di Stato busy and in his enquiries Trotti frequently confronts problems facing Italian society: terrorism, political instability, corruption, socialism under Craxi, Operation Clean Hands (mani pulite), and above all, the decline of civilised intercourse.
Writing in a minimalist style, in which he relies largely on dialogue to advance the plot, Williams has at times been considered a demanding author. One critic complained that the books read like translations from Italian. Some readers find that pace and tension are sacrificed for sociology and politics and that the moody, brooding Trotti, addicted to rhubarb sweets, is too slow and too wordy for their taste.
==Characterization==
The novels are populated with an array of acquaintances, colleagues, criminals, and the occasional walk-on, which together present a spectrum of the Italian national character. The author often uses the bit players to demonstrate the Italian penchant for labyrinthine and sometimes obfuscatory dialogue.
Having grown up under Fascism and having lost a brother in the partisan war of 1943-45, Piero Trotti is cynical yet dourly optimistic. By the fifth novel this optimism is in scant evidence. Trotti's estranged wife lives in America. A number of women find Trotti appealing but Trotti is torn in his loyalty to the marriage.
The primary characters, Trotti and the two subalterns he works closest with, use a more restrained, direct language. Trotti himself is not expressive and seems impervious to personal relationships, but both lieutenants form close bonds with their demanding mentor. Magagna eventually leaves for Milan, in part to escape Trotti’s overwhelming influence. Pisanelli, who replaces Magagna as Trotti’s foil, is unable to remove himself from Trotti’s orbit and comes to both admire and resent his superior.
In the early novels Trotti's daugher Pioppi suffers from anorexia, a fact which continues to haunt Trotti for years, long after her recovery, and causes him to question his role as a father. In the later novels, Trotti is a grandfather to two little girls who give meaning to his life.
Novels
Converging Parallels (London: Gollancz, 1982; ISBN 978-0575031258)
The Puppeteerr (London: Gollancz, 1985; ISBN 978-0575047532)
Persona Non Grata (London: Gollancz, 1987; ISBN 978-0575040823)
Black August (London: Orion, 1992; ISBN 978-0575053076)
Big Italy (London: Orion, 1996; ISBN 978-0575059290)
There are a varied collection of human bits and pieces floating in the
River Po in Timothy Williams' book .. but steel yourself for them and
read on. CP is by far the best thriller to appear so far this year and
I cannot truly see it being bettered.
The setting is the industrial north of Italy, the hero is an honest
Commissario named Trotti, the villains are the Red Brigades and most
of the politicians and the plot centres around the disappearance of a
small girl. The atmosphere is electric and the writing is stylish yet
tense.
Denis Pitts,
Punch
29.10.82
Commissario Trotti is an inspired creation. He is determined to work
honestly, whatever the consequences for his police career. This is not
easy in a small Italian town with forthcoming elections. He
investigates the kidnap of a small girl, but is firlmy tol to drop his
enquiries when they involve the mayor who is seeking re-election. The
Red Brigades are active, their philosophies attract the sons and
daughters of the rich and famous. Trotti's wife rushes around casinos
with other men, his daughter criticises his dress sense and his work
ethics. Through it all, Trotti unwraps boiled sweets and shambles
towards the truth. As well as being an accomplished thriller, the
story casts a stark light on the political corruption which is rife in
Italy. The background is detailed and interesting.
Austin MacCurtain,
Sunday Times
27.8.1989
In Converging Parallels, Timothy Williams, combines a lament for a
decaying society with a kidnapping case in a small, municipally proud,
communist controlled Italian city. For his likable hero, Commissario
Trotti it is a confrontation both with corruption and the realisation
that even for those faithful in its service, the State's probity can
be a delusion
The characters relate to the investigation and to wider concerns. They
display political perceptions. Indeed, they are almost too eloquent
for the form that Mr Williams has chosen for this, his first novel.
It is a long way from Mayhem Parva where conversation centres on
homes and gardens. For all that, the essential ingredients - a missing
child, a dismembered corpse- and blackmail - remain, artfully
distilled by a bright new talent.
Mathew Coady
Guardian
RED CITROEN
The modestly impressive debut of a sternly likable Italian policeman/ sleuth: Comissario Trotti, middle-aged detective in a provincial city
near Milan-an unflashy fellow with a loving teenage daughter and a
sullen, straying wife. Trotti's first appearance is set during the
time of Aldo Moro's kidnapping, and late-20th-century Italy's
terrorist-shadowed lifestyle is gently, insistently underscored
throughout. ("We live in a country that makes monsters out of human
beings," one of the characters tells Trotti.) The two seemingly
unrelated cases at hand: the kidnapping of six-year-old Anna Ermagni,
daughter of a taxi driver; and the discovery, piece by piece, of the
body of an aging prostitute. Trotti concentrates on the kidnapping- even after Anna is (very oddly) retuned unharmed. . . and after the
higher-ups have ordered him to end the investigation. His sleuthing
leads him to focus on a red Citroen involved in the kidnapping-a car
once owned by the city's Communist mayor! So there are political
pressures galore as Trotti (distracted by his wife's arrest in a local
gambling den/nightspot) persists, eventually linking the murder with
the kidnapping. . . and with the radical tendencies shown by the
offspring of city bigwigs. More convincing in ambience than similar
recent offerings (Timothy Holme, Magdalen Nabb) and nicely balanced
between shapely plot twists and muted, off-beat character portraits,
the low-key but quietly engrossing start of a police procedural series.
Kirkus,
15.6.84
Timothy Williams. St. Martin's, $11.95 ISBN 0-312-66630-6
Williams plans a series on Commissario Trotti, a conscientious
detective in a northern Italian city. His début makes a gripping
story, with skillfully humanized characters. Aldo Moro has been seized
by the terrorists in Rome at the time when Trotti is trying to solve
local crimes. His godchild, little Anna Ermagnani, is abducted at the
same time that a woman's butchered corpse is found in the Po River.
Against the orders of the mayor and Trotti's superior in law
enforcement, the detective devotes himself to investigating the
killing and the kidnap case. As he persists, with the help of loyal
allies, Trotti scratches away at the façade of probity he finds in
many politicians, and readers feels his gradual, painful
disillusionment, loss of belief in the republican ideal. Moro's
martyrdom and Trotti's decision about his career cap the novels
staggering events.
Publishers Weekly
24.6.83
Here's a TIMELY NOVEl, set in Modern Italy just after the kidnaping of
Aldo Moro that begins with disappearance of a six-year-old girl whose
family is not rich enough to pay a sizable ransom. Her Godfather.
however, is Commissario Trotti of the police. ~k ho is determined to
see the case through to its conclusion, even with his case load that
includes a search for a murderer of an unidentified victim and
keeping track of the Red Brigade members in his district. As Trotti
gets deeper into the coils of the investigation, he becomes mixcd up
with corruption which touches everyone involved.
Written by an author who, while not Italian, brings us a glimpse of
authentic contemporary life in Italy, Williams writing is clever and
interesting and presages a series featuring Commissario Trotti, a
welcome addition to the ever growing field of investigative policemen.
West Coast Review of Books
Italy in 1978 is stunned by acts of terrorism. In the middle of all
the mayhem. Police Commissario Trotti's god-daughter is kidnapped with
no apparent motive; the child's father, a taxi driver, has neither
monetary nor political value.
Trotti interviews a potential witness - a young doctor who lives
across the street from the scene of the abduction. The doctor talks of
the plight of the physician in training, the lack of practical
experience available, his personal distrust the Police and claims he
didn't see a thing.
But we did.
"The Red Citroen" uses the police procedural to prove the rapidly
deteriorating body politic of today's Italy, carving out vivid slices
of life with a cutting edge named Trotti. A trip to the provinces
uncovers unrepentant fascists ensconced in the extremities. Slipping
into the kidnapped girl's school, Trotti observes an educational
structure flawed by too little parental concern and too much
bureaucratic attention. From the bowels of the police headquarters to
the control complex of the city hall, he battles one bureaucratic clot
after another.
Even after his god-daughter is returned unharmed, Trotti persists in
probing for one of society's agents of infection. A dismembered body,
disaffected radicals, a dying journalist, a red Citroen - these become
sharply detailed specimens. Trotti finally corners the killer - and
his Job and his marriage are in jeopardy. Then, and only then. does he
get to the heart of the problem: The real crime is his own distorted
sense of duty. None of the crimes described in the book do as much
damage as Trotti does to himself. That revelation surprises the reader
as much as it does the commissario. It also makes Timothy Williams
novel considerably more than a mere police procedural
Bob Moyor
Grand Rapids Michigan Press
23.10.1983
This so-called "thriller" is about the kidnapping of a small girl
from a village playground in northern Italy. Little Anna Ermagni
disappeared without a trace from the park in May 1978. The Red
Brigades, an Italian terrorist group, are the suspected kidnappers.
These same terrorists were responsible for the real-life kidnapping
and assassination of Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro at about the
same time. Unfortunately, while the story of Anna's kidnapping made
good material for a thriller, The Red Citroen proved disappointing.
There was little that was thrilling about wading through 200-plus
pages of a poorly written book. Police Commissario Trotti, the child's
godfather, is engaged in the predictable search for the whereabouts of
Anna. He questions everyone in excruciating detail. After a short
while, the reading got tedious. The plot moved ever so slowly. Clearly, The Red Citroen is not one of St. Martin's more interesting
books. It hardly qualifies to be called a "thriller."
Gary Sokolow
Volante, South Dakota
12.11.83
The scene is Italy in the timeof the abduction of Aldo Moro, and
life is hard for all police, especially for Commissario Trotti,
detective in a city in Northern Italy. In Trotti the author has
created a new figure who, judging by this first effort, may be around
for many books to come. Trotti's god-daughter has been kidnaped, parts
of an unidentified body keep turning up around town, Trotti's flighty
wife has departed, leaving him with his wondering daughter. And it
becomes clear that the higherups wish, then command, that he ease off
on the investigatory pressure. But Trotti is an old-fashioned man ...
Anniston AL Star
2.10.1983
This thriller, published under the title "Converging Parallels" in
GB, is bound to have problems finding an audience here.
"The Red Citroen" introduces Commissario Trotti a police officer in a
provincial Italian town who is investigating the kidnapping of his
godchild. The action takes place just after the Aldo Moro kidnapping.
Trotti, world-weary but not yet cynical must conduct his investigation
amidst both national and local political intrigue and the upheaval of
his own family.
The book isn't so labelled but it reads like a translation. Sentence
structure is awkward, requiring slow-paced reading. Although some
Italian terms are footnoted, the set-up of the complex Italian police
system is never fully explained. For American readers, it's a
confusing morass. This thriller also is remarkably depressing. Yes,
it's full of atmosphere and suitably strange characters, but somehow a
disheartening story is not really what one looks for in a thriller.
Carol Schaal
South Bend Tribune
23.10.83
The Red Citroen (St. Martin's, $11.95), the debut of London-born
Timothy Williams, is a placid tale of police investigation in a
politically turbulent city in Northern Italy at the time of the
kidnapping of Aldo Moro. Commissario Trotti has his own kidnapping
case, which his masters don't want him to investigate. He has also the
various parts of a corpse turning up in the river Po, and he's
supposed to be lavishing all his attentions on some nonviolent but
noisy young socialists. All this while his doctor wife is finding her
diversions outside their home. Trotti risks his career stubbornly
poking into the kidnapping, and at the end it all comes together in an
unexpectedly tidy package.
AJH
Armchair Detective
Winter 1984
This first book in a proposed series introduces the incorruptible
Italian police Commissario Trotti. An admirable figure, Trotti single- mindedly pursues the solution to the kidnapping of a six-year-old
girl, while the attention of many is focused on the more spectacular
kidnapping of Aldo Moro. Insights into contemporary Italian provincial
living keep the reader interested in a sometimes slow-moving narrative.
LJ
1.9.1983
Crime novels suspense novels mystery mysteries
I gialli verita Giallosera
Leonardo Sciascia Raymond Chandler Maigret
Carlo Emilio Gadda Giorgio Scerbanenco
Attilo Veraldi Carolo Fruttero Franco Lucentini
Laura Grimaldi
Bruno Ventavolis Andrea Pickett Silvano la Spina
Loriano Macchiavelli Corrado Augias Andrea Camilleri
Lindsey Davis Steven Saylor
Loris Rambelli Storia del "Giallo" Italiano
The Story of Italian Detective Fiction
Donna Leon Commissario Guido Brunetti
Michael Didbin Aurelio Zen
Timothy Williams Piero Trotti
Commissario Trotti
Commissaire Pavia Pavie Italie Italia
rhubarb sweets boiled sweets barley sweets
Ticino Tessin Po River lac Garda lago
Pisanelli Magagna pubblica sicurezza carabinieri
Agnese Pioppi Oltre Po Ganna
Years of lead, anni di piombo,
Aldo Moro Red Brigades Brigate Rosse,
Converging parallels Convergenze parallele
The Puppeteer Persona non grata Montreur d'ombres
Black August Big Italy St. Martin's Rivages
Mondadori il poliziotto è sola
The Red Citroen Metal Green Mercedes
The White Audi Traduction: Nathalie Godard
Seuil Fleuve noir Cherchez la femme
Return from Cayenne Guadeloupe French West Indies
Antilles French Caribbean Martinique Guyane
bagne Devil's Island Pointe à Pitre juge d'instruction
