Donna Leon (1942 – )

While her own parents could not attend college, they encouraged Leon’s education. Leon did not stop at attending University -- she went on to teach literature in Iran, China, and Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, while she taught in Iran, her attempt to complete a Ph.D. about Jane Austen was interrupted by the Iran Revolution of 1978-79, and Leon quickly evacuated.

While born and raised in the U.S, Leon has an international spirit. For 25 years, she made Italy her home. While she now splits time between Switzerland and Italy, her literary work remains set in Venice. Her famous Commissario Brunetti series follows Guido Brunetti on his adventures fighting crime in the streets of Venice. However, despite Leon’s literary focus on Venice, her books have not been translated into Italian. Though peculiar, Leon has a reason for her decision -- she does not want her home and celebrity life to mingle.

A prolific author, Leon has published 31 Commissario Brunetti books, a stand-alone novel, and several non-fiction books as of 2022. She has received numerous awards, such as the Suntory Mystery Fiction Grand Prize for her first novel, Death at La Fenice (1992), and the Chorine – International Book Prize for Willful Behaviour (2002). In addition, Trebitsch Productions adapted her Commissario Brunetti series into a German Television show, first aired in 2000.

In the past several years, Leon has gained attention as an eco-detective writer. She made the environmental devastation occurring to the planet a focus in one of her recent Commissario Brunetti books, Earthly Remains (2017). The mystery takes a twist on Leon’s usual narratives by focusing on the human corruption leading to environmental destruction in Vienna. However, Leon did not stop integrating real-world issues into her writing with Earthly Remains. Her 2022 novel Give Unto Others brings the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic to Guido Brunetti’s suspense-filled universe. A thoughtful and deliberate author, Leon brings carefully crafted detail and intriguing world-building to her books.