An Italianist, Orcel gave essential essays on Leopardi and the dark side of Italian literature. (Italie obscure), as well as on Verdi, of whom he is the most recent French biographer.[11] In the field of Islamology, in addition to his travel books, he published in 2011 De la dignité de l'islam. Réfutation de quelques thèses de la nouvelle islamophobie chrétienne ("On the dignity of Islam.