RARA-AVIS: Re: 1940s British Crime/Noir Titles

From: jwwoolley (JohnWWoolley@comcast.net)
Date: 02 Nov 2009

  • Next message: Brian Thornton: "Re: RARA-AVIS: Re: 1940s British Crime/Noir Titles"

    --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "manda1623texas" <amandatstanford@...> wrote:
    >
    > I was wondering if anyone would know of good, perhaps not well-known, authors writing in the 1940s in Britain?

    "Manning Coles", the pseudonym for the team of Adelaide Frances Oke Manning (1891-1959) and Cyril Henry Coles (1899-1965) -- thank you, Wikipedia -- wrote quite a few espionage thrillers during the 40s and 50s. Most of them are pretty lightweight stuff, entertaining enough but without much impact. But the first two, A DRINK TO YESTERDAY and A TOAST TO TOMORROW are excellent, and DRINK is as noir as anything. I first read it aetate 12 or so, and was thrilled (and still am) with its deep "world-sadness". Highly recommended.

    -- John Woolley



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