“The Man and the Sea” by Stefano Tamburini: novel-truth about the tragic death of a former soccer player and the tremendous inferences

Tamburini’s new book

"L’uomo e il mare", published by Edizioni Il Foglio, è a novel-truthà recounting the tragic events that occurred on Feb. 2, 1989. On that day, the waters of Piombino were the scene of death and terror when a shark attacked a diver, causing panic throughout the Tuscan coast.

Stefano Tamburini, author of the book, è a longtime journalist, already the editor of several newspapers including Corriere Romagna, Agl (the Espresso Group’s agency), La Città di Salerno and Il Tirreno. This event triggered a series of speculations and conspiracy theories that attempted to discredit the victim, insinuating that Costanzo had orchestrated his own disappearance to cheat a nonexistent insurance company or that he had been involved in an accident with explosives during a fishing trip.

The novel tells a story from 35 years ago, just as terrifying as a man killed by a shark can be. But the narrative goes further, exploring the devastating "after" where men more vicious than the shark itself sought to manipulate the truth, besmirching the reputation of witnesses and the memory of the victim, Luciano Costanzo.

Costanzo, 47, was a port worker and former soccer player, known for playing for various teams such as Massetana, Piombino, Acireale, Livorno, Savoia and Paganese. The work boasts a preface by Giangiacomo De Stefano, producer, author and film director.