Piazz’à u libru – Piergiorgio Pulixi, an author rooted in his culture

The Sardinian author alone embodies this new wave of Italian crime fiction. His books are international bestsellers. Works where the police intrigue is accompanied by a societal analysis like his latest novel The Silent Bride.

Meeting with one of the key writers of this third edition of Piazz’à u libru. A particular author who claims his Sardinian culture in more than one way.

Piergiorgo Pulixi how did this passion for crime fiction come to you?

I believe that each author always carries out a work of restitution. There is no author who is not at the same time a great reader, a great lover of books. For my part, I have always been a great reader of thrillers inspired by French noir novels. It is my passion. When I joined the course of a great Italian author Massimo Carlotto, who brought to Italy the Mediterranean noir thriller à la Jean-Claude Izzo, this allowed me to write by combining intrigues with social analysis. I grasped the full potential of this literary genre with of course the ability to tell a beautiful intrigue to keep the reader in suspense but also to tell the reality of the situation. society, as well as the most denied, most forgotten history The stories that the newspapers and televisions do not want to tell due to conflict of interest.

Are you in some way a witness to your time by evoking certain hidden sides that are not necessarily very rewarding?

Not only the least disgusting side of society, but also that of those who are forgotten as did certain very attentive authors like Simenon who told about the cursed of society, the little people. Because today our society is increasingly in contrast with the rich who are always richer and a increasingly poor fringe with widening gaps

At the same time, are you a profoundly Sardinian author who evokes his land with passion?

Sardinia is a land that we only remember during vacation time to go to the beach. For the rest it shows a certain forgetfulness on the part of the State and that is very sad. Because in reality Sardinia could be a laboratory of democracy and progressivism while, conversely, it is considered to be on the outskirts of the Empire because the central State is very focused on two or three cities, Milan, Rome and Florence, and forgets the rest a little.

In your latest novel The Silent Bride do we find this?

I really like to confront the mentality of an old Sardinian peasant from another time accustomed to the wisdom of the earth and nature who finds himself caught in another reality that of a city in this case Milan but it could be Paris or Barcelona it would not change anything, in a world with different rules without solidarity, without no attention to his neighbor. I really enjoy telling the story of this 80-year-old man who has other moral rules, real resilience, real respect. It’s also about talking about cultural differences.

Piergiorgo Pulixi and Corsica

I know Corsica, I have come there several times, whether personally or to participate in a festival in Bastia. I find a lot of similarities between Sardinia and Corsica. I fell in love with this land. I think that these two lands play on certain clichés which also please the States.

How do you explain your international success?

I try to use a universal alphabet which is that of emotion. Obviously I cannot explain this success in the world of the Francophonie

Piergiorgo Pulixi if they say about you that you are the new Andrea Camilleri?

This is an honor, but also it makes me tremble with the fear of this responsibility. Camilleri is a great author who has made this literary genre of detective fiction noble. He literally made a revolution. He gave the thriller an international audience without ever betraying its cultural origins.