Trilogy of the “Inspector Bibula”

Presentation of the Inspector Bibula trilogy – Il Caffè Letterario, edited by M. Testi (Vescovio, Sat. 3.11.2023)

On the afternoon of Saturday 11 March 2023, at the headquarters of the Teresian Institution in Vescovio (Rieti), just beside the beautiful sanctuary of Santa Maria Assunta, the fourth yearly meeting of Il Caffè Letterario (organized by Marco Testi) was held, and the Inspector Bibula fantasy-noir trilogy was presented.

The meeting began with an engaging introduction by Marco Testi, journalist as well as historian and literary critic, and professor at a faculty of religious sciences connected with the Lateran University, and then continued with a series of questions, asked by both the organizer and the present audience to Valerio Grimaldi, co-author of the trilogy together with the late Fr. Emidio Alessandrini. Thanks to all these questions, it was possible to present some of the topics addressed in the novels: borderline phenomena, shamanic techniques for altering consciousness, new age witchcraft, musicology, quantum mechanics and even moral theology.

Video content with playing time:

1. General presentation by the head of the Teresian Institution (01:40 – 03:57)
2. Presentation of Il Caffè Letterario by Marco Testi (03:58 – 04:33)
3. Presentation of the Inspector Bibula trilogy by Marco Testi (04:34 – 19:15)
4. Marco Testi’s first question: “How did you get the idea for the Inspector Bibula trilogy?” (19:16 – 26:18)
5. Marco Testi’s second question: “How did the collaboration between you two take place?” (26:19 – 28:08)
6. Marco Testi’s third question: “When did the writing of the three novels begin?” (28:09 – 29:08)
7. First question by the audience: “In which time and places are the novels set?” (29:09 – 35:01)
8. Second question by the audience: “Do real facts prevail in the novels or rather the fantastic ones?” (35:02 – 36:02)
9. Third question by the audience: “In this fight between good and evil, what does this novel want to teach? Is there a way out?” (36:03 – 46:17)
10. Marco Testi’s fourth question: “Where can you buy these books?” (46:18 – 47:04)
11. Topic deepened by Valerio Grimaldi: the chapter on the early work of Prospero Lambertini (Benedict XIV) and the doctoral thesis of Fr. Emidio Alessandrini (47:05 – 49:50)
12. Fifth question by Marco Testi: “During the writing of the three novels, was there any character to whom you remained most attached or for whom you feel a possible aversion?” (49:51 – 57:21)
13. Marco Testi’s sixth question: “Are the characters in the novels the result of fantasy or are they inspired by real people?” (57:22 – 01:00:46)
14. Fourth question by the audience: “How much easier could it have been in the 16th century to experience the paranormal than today?” (01:00:47 – 01:05:28)
15. Fifth question by the audience: “Regarding the use of plants which can induce altered states of consciousness – and which are mentioned in the novels -, can one run the risk of promoting their use, even if unintentionally?” (01:05:29 – 01:14:50)
16. Thought of a lady from the audience: “In the novels you talk about different but connected timelines, and all this recalls quantum mechanics and the concept of non-linear time” (01:14:51 – 01:18:49)
17. Final conclusion by the head of the Teresian Institution (01:18:50 – 01:19:14)