Cappellani, Ottavio 1969-

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Cappellani, Ottavio 1969-

PERSONAL:

Born June 16, 1969, in Italy.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Catania, Sicily, Italy. Agent—The Susijn Agency Ltd., 3rd Fl., 64 Great Titchfield St., London W1W 7QH, England.

CAREER:

Journalist and writer, songwriter, musician. Regular contributor to the Italian newspaper La Sicilia.

WRITINGS:

Who Is Lou Sciortino?, translated by Howard Curtis, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Italian journalist and writer Ottavio Cappellani is a regular contributor to several Italian newspapers, including the Sicilian daily La Sicilia. He is also a songwriter and musician.

In 2007, Cappellani published his first novel, Who Is Lou Sciortino? The story revolves around a Mafia family in New York involved in some shady negotiations with the movie industry, under the front of Starship Pictures. Main character Lou Sciortino, who is set to inherit the family business, must escape to Sicily early in the book after he botches a job. In Italy he goes to work for Don "Uncle Sal" Scali, who is responsible for the accidental death of a local policeman. Things quickly get out of hand, and Lou's grandfather soon arrives in Sicily to straighten out the situation. The novel is set in Cappellani's hometown of Catania, which provides a colorful backdrop, and the author frequently alludes to other famous Mafia-inspired works such as the television series The Sopranos and Martin Scorsese movies. Critics and readers alike lauded Cappellani's first novel overall, noting its bloody content but engrossing plotline. Who Is Lou Sciortino? is "violent, convoluted, and yet perversely appealing," wrote Andrea Kempf in a review for the Library Journal. Others appreciated the author's ability to create characters who have more depth than many in this genre. Cappellani is "keen to show us the frailty of his characters," observed New Statesman contributor Daniel Trilling.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune Books, May 13, 2007, review of Who Is Lou Sciortino?, p. 8.

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2007, review of Who Is Lou Sciortino?

Library Journal, May 15, 2007, Andrea Kempf, review of Who Is Lou Sciortino?, p. 78.

New Statesman, July 9, 2007, Daniel Trilling, review of Who Is Lou Sciortino?, p. 58.

New York Times Book Review, August 5, 2007, Jeff Turrentine, review of Who Is Lou Sciortino? Publishers Weekly, March 19, 2007, review of Who Is Lou Sciortino?, p. 38.

San Francisco Chronicle, June 6, 2007, Theo Gangi, review of Who Is Lou Sciortino?, p. 2.