Oh yes…in fact…it took ten years!

I am pleased to announce that I have just signed the publishing contract for my next book, so my first novel. I look forward to work with the publisher Benjamin Zumsteg and his publishing buchmodul.ch. After months of intense negotiations with various publishers, even with my first publisher, I’ve decided for a new way to go. The production of the book is underway and the release is expected to be 1^st November 2013 and also be available as an eBook. We have our sleeves folded back and are busy organizing the press and readings. Only so much can be revealed: in addition to the many coffee I drank while writing, coffee plays a major role in the novel ;o)

Watch out for more infos at the end of September, I’m really excited!!!

I’m glad to present you Dr. Margrit Zinggeler’s book, published by The Edwin Mellen Press N.Y.
Margrit published her study of authors from the Swiss „Secondo-Space“ and I feel honoured to belong to her selection of the 15 most prominent Secondo-Writers. Margrit gave to my „The Paper Factory“ a great opportunity to present my work to the US-market in her book.

Margrit and me met in 2010 in Solothurn at the well-known Literature days, where she interviewed me about my writing works and film project. Her perception about me is „Writing is an emotional process of her, with heart-blood, and she thinks about the emotions of the reader when writing. Recurring motifs of her works are love and relationships, and sensory perceptions in the countries where she travels; the smells, the sounds, and the entire sensorial palette.“ WOW!!! ;o)

Meanwhile the roadmovie „The Paper Factory“ is as DVD in rough version circulating, so I’m going to see which door will get open???

To Margrit from the bottom of my heart: Mille grazie!

For a long time, Naples was proposed to people through the media as a real one garbage and ruled by a bad organization. This came to a peak when Roberto Saviani published his book „Gomorra“, which was filmed later. I’d like to introduce you to this special town, you will surprised about its citizens. It’s known, that neapolitan people have a special heart, which  I can truly confirm, as being one of them ;o). We where wandering around this town, visiting historical places (once we had a king and I’m proud to know personally very well one of the princes of the royal family). Venite con me:

vedi Napoli e muori…;O)

Piazza del Plebiscito

Castel dell’Ovo

Beautiful view to the gulf of Naples and Vesuvio

we were lucky to assist Americas‘ cup, in the background the isle of Capri
called as well „Il mocassino“

…please avoid to get inside the alleys of this quarter,
even you are curious to see the real neapolitan life,
it’s not a touristic place inside there!

you will see them too!

Neapolitan’s are well known for their sense of humour
and as well for their superstition

and for their strong faith in god and
all kind of saints, the local one is San Gennaro

back street view

no comment…

take care of your car ;o)

Hi, there are some news

I’ve just learnt to handle with the cutting of all the filmed stuff under the supervision of Jürg, a professional filmer and producer. He introduced me with a lot of patience into editing, checking, effects, overblendings, writing titles, putting music, mixing and publishing. Well, there’s a lot of work to do…I think it will take some time and I should be ready with the movie sometimes in spring next year ;o). I want to do this work all by myself, because my soul has to flow into this movie.

my late uncle Pasquale, handling with his oldtimer

my aunties Maria & Anna, bloody engaged with the movie

I’m sad to announce, that my beloved uncle Pasquale has passed.

I’m so thankful having spent with you three wonderful weeks in February and that you made our movie complete with a beautiful closure. As we said goodbye, I felt we won’t see each other again.

Rest in peace, hopefully in a marvellous place full of melody, your niece.

…I won’t forget our adventurous & funny, risky trips
around Buenos Aires ;o)

I’m sad to announce, that my father has passed away after a long incurable disease. I’ve inheritated a lot of his talents, which I’m thankful for.

I’ll always be your echo, Rest in Peace, your daughter

Beside of the shooting, we had enough time to visit all the interesting places of Buenos Aires. Here a few impressions of the many faces of Buenos Aires:

Casa Rosada – President Cristina’s home; for the
first time ever, it was possible to visit her office, it’s
very nice inside!

San Telmo – the flee market, you will find there
all what your antique hearts longing for ;o)

La Boca – the harbour quarter, where
the first emigrants arrived and lived

what is Buenos Aires without Tango??

Puerto Madero – the new trendy quarter with lots
of restaurants and bars

Avenida 9 de Julio – the world‘ s largest street

Evita Peron’s last place at Recoleta Cemetery –
one of the most interesting cemeteries, you
can see there beautiful mausoleums as well
horrible ones!!!

Estacion Retiro – travelling by train, a must do!

Tigre is a recreation area out of Buenos Aires,
you can buy there  mostly artisan goodies, fresh
fruits and vegetables, incence sticks, gaucho hats etc.,
I found there an antique soda bottle for a few pesos ;o)

Despedida – it’s custom to celebrate a farewell
with a delicious barbecue of best steaks!! Auntie
Maria and Joa, my cousins’s husband were
great cooks during the three weeks ;o)

I promised you, that the news will come ;o)

At the beginning of February I travelled with my mother after 8 years of absence again to Buenos Aires in Argentina. Luckily for me, there lives my auntie Anna, my mum’s sister, so this was the 5th time I travelled to this beautiful country and each time I took the opportunity to visit a wonderful place in the inland. The beginning of this blog of mine is due to my book, which I wrote in 2000 and published in 2003, it’s my auntie’s story. Writing this book was one of the most wonderful things in my life and this time I decided to make out a movie of it. I’m not a professional director and for the first time I tried to handle with a video-camera, my book was the script and I made another wonderful thing with! It was one of the funniest experience I’ve done with real protagonists and not actors. When we arrived in Buenos Aires, I told to the family I would do this movie, they laughed me out, but I started the real next day with the shooting with my auntie. At the beginning she was insecure and I knew, that I had to prepare her for that, her husband at first refused my project. The locations were most at their home, in the quarter and some in the city. Another sister of her from Naples came over with her son too and during the shootings everyone was so thrilled, that they asked me to get a little part in the movie. So I had to improvise a lot, but it was worth, it turned out a wonderful roadmovie and I felt honoured, that my aunties husband made a beautiful closure of the movie, here some pics:

auntie Anna and her story about…

her Paper Factory! She’s still working on paper ;o)

briefing the shooting of the next day, uncle Pasquale,
my mum, auntie Anna and auntie Maria

the ladies telling about their youth in south Italy

my uncle Pasquale in the 6oties was pursuing a career as an opera singer, he recorded/covered at that time famous neapolitan songs on shellac discs. His daughter found them in the house lost in an edge and she knew someone along the street that owns a Victrola. It was a very touching moment to hear him singing, I recorded the songs on my iPhone and played them later to my uncle…

In the 18th century, this was the passport
emitted at the harbour to the emigrants

my uncle and his unseparable Bergantin 61

News coming soon!

…another great adventure ;o)

I was honoured to meet Mrs Margrith Zinggeler in the occasion of the well-known literature days in Solothurn. Mrs Zinggeler contacted me nearly one year ago and we stayed in contact for the coming months via e-mail. During this time she presented my written work at various conventions, I felt really honoured about that, you can read about that in the topic „University of Michigan“.

This much more, that we finally could match a meeting here, as Mrs Zinggeler has Swiss roots. We met in a restaurant and I got interviewed by her about my writing, how my stories emerge, how I use to write, my influences, about my italian roots and where I really feel at home, what kind of stories do fascinating me, which people fascinates me, etc.

I told her as well about my vision of a filming of my book, how it should come out and with who I would like to realize it, I can imagine a kind of documentary by interviewing the protagonists of the book, with some cuttings as flash-backs from archives material. I’m aware, that the production of a movie goes into millions, but I’d like to see a low-budget production, in the meaning „reduce to the max“, so if there’s any blog-reader out there interested to emerge in the world of producing movies/documentaries, don’t hesitate to contact me ;o)

Margrith and me: we had a wonderful talk together,
at the end I was given from her a packet of wild rice
from Minnesota, where she lives and I gave her
swiss chocolate and italian delicacies