Joseph Damiani (22 June 1923 – 24 April 2004), known by the pen name José Giovanni, was a French-Swiss writer, filmmaker, and a convicted criminal. He was known for his realistic, gritty crime novels which drew upon his own personal… Joseph Damiani (22 June 1923 – 24 April 2004), known by the pen name José Giovanni, was a French-Swiss writer, filmmaker, and a convicted criminal. He was known for his realistic, gritty crime novels which drew upon his own personal experiences and knowledge of the French underworld.
A former collaborationist and street criminal who at one time was sentenced to death, Giovanni became a popular author of crime fiction beginning in the 1960s. Several of his novels were adapted to films by directors like Jacques Becker, Jean-Pierre Melville, and Claude Sautet. He also wrote screenplays for several others, and eventually turned to directing, helming some 17 films between 1967 and 2001.
Giovanni's works often praise masculine friendships and advocated the confrontation of the individual against the world. Though he never concealed his criminal past, he was always careful to hide his links with the Nazi occupiers of France during World War II. His collaborationism was eventually exposed in 1993 by the Swiss newspapers Tribune de Genève and 24 Heures.
🌍
Detecting…
Your privacy, your choice
We use cookies to personalise content, analyse traffic and improve your experience.
Read our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.
We believe privacy is a right, not a trade-off. Choose exactly what you're comfortable with. You can change these any time. Full privacy policy.
Essential
Always on
Required for the site to function
Session management, security tokens, login state, and your cookie preference itself. These cannot be turned off. No personal data is shared with third parties.
Analytics
Optional
Helps us understand what content you enjoy
We use anonymised analytics (e.g. Google Analytics) to see which articles perform well, how long people spend reading, and where traffic comes from. This helps us write better content. Your IP address is anonymised and no data is sold.
Personalisation
Optional
Remembers your preferences across visits
Remembers your reading preferences and recently read articles so we can surface relevant content. All data stays in your browser — nothing is sent to our servers.
Advertising
Optional
Used to show relevant ads that support the site
Allows advertising partners to show you ads based on your interests. If you decline, you'll still see ads but they won't be tailored to you. We work with Google AdSense and similar networks. You can opt out globally at youronlinechoices.eu.
Continue reading
You're clearly a fan
Get the best stories in your inbox
Join thousands of readers who get XOTLIST delivered daily. No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.
