Episode 238: Pushing the Boundaries of Noir — Interview with Tony Bellotto

by Gabriela Pereira
published in Podcast

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so excited to be hosting Brazilian author Tony Bellotto on the show!

As some of you may know, my parents are from Brazil and my first language is actually Portuguese. Though I was raised in the U.S. I consider myself as much Brazilian as American so I am super thrilled to have a Brazilian author here today!

Tony is the author of the best-selling Bellini mystery novels, which have been released as major feature films and translated widely, establishing him as the preeminent writer of Brazilian detective fiction. He is also a guitarist and songwriter for the famed Brazilian rock band Titãs (The Titans), which has released twenty albums and sold over six million copies.

On top of all that, Tony is also the editor of Rio Noir and São Paulo Noir, both published by Akashic Books, who are also releasing the English translation of his Bellini mysteries starting with his debut novel, Bellini and the Sphinx, which is now available.

Now listen in, and get ready to hear a little Portuguese, as Tony and I chat about the two awesome anthologies he edited and what it really means for a story to be noir.

In this episode Tony and I discuss:

  • The broad definition of “noir”.
  • How to create a crime fiction anthology with non-crime fiction writers.
  • Using humor to create the noir atmosphere.
  • Why you should divide an anthology into sections, and how to do it right.
  • International publishing and the translation process.

Plus, Tony’s #1 tip for writers.

About Tony Bellotto

Tony Bellotto is the author of the best-selling Bellini mystery novels, which have been released as major feature films and translated widely, establishing him as the preeminent writer of Brazilian detective fiction.

He is also a guitarist and songwriter for the famed Brazilian rock band Titãs (The Titans), which has released twenty albums and sold over six million copies. Tony also writes for the newspaper O Globo and hosts a television show.

He is the editor of Rio Noir and São Paulo Noir, both published by Akashic Books. Bellini and the Sphinx the first of the Bellini mysteries is now available in English from Akashic translated from Brazilian Portuguese into English by Clifford E. Landers.

Rio Noir

Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book, and with Rio Noir, beloved Brazilian rock star and best-selling novelist Tony Bellotto brings the series to South America for the first time.

Brand-new stories by: Tony Bellotto, Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, MV Bill, Luiz Eduardo Soares, Guilherme Fiuza, Arthur Dapieve, Victoria Saramago, Arnaldo Bloch, Adriana Lisboa, Alexandre Fraga dos Santos, Marcelo Ferroni, Flávio Carneiro, Raphael Montes, and Luis Fernando Verissimo. All stories translated from Brazilian Portuguese by Clifford Landers.

São Paulo Noir

Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. On the heels of Rio Noir, beloved Brazilian rock star and best-selling novelist Tony Bellotto ushers another world-class city into the Akashic Noir Series with São Paulo Noir.

Brand-new stories by: Tony Bellotto, Olivia Maia, Marcelino Freire, Beatriz Bracher & Maria S. Carvalhosa, Fernando Bonassi, Marcelo Rubens Paiva, Marçal Aquino, Jô Soares, Mario Prata, Ferréz, Vanessa Barbara, Ilana Casoy, and Drauzio Varella. All stories translated from Brazilian Portuguese by Clifford Landers.

 

 

If you decide to check out São Paulo Noir, Rio Noir, or Tony’s latest English release Bellini and the Sphinx, we hope you’ll do so via these Amazon affiliate links, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

 

Link to Episode 238

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