Tres Bien!! Merci Beaucoup, Ms. Montin
--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, Karin Montin
<kmontin@...> wrote:
>
> Let unwary readers be warned: books in the S鲩e Noire
cannot
safely be placed in just any hands. Those who like Sherlock
Holmes- type puzzles won't find what they're looking for.
Neither will systematic optimists. The immorality generally
accepted in this type of work solely to serve as a foil for
conventional morality is just as much at home there as fine
feelings, even just plain amorality. The spirit of such books
is rarely conformist. In them there are police more corrupt
than the crimnals they're chasing. The nice detective doesn't
always solve the mystery. Sometimes there is no mystery. And
sometimes there isn't even a detective. And so? So what
remains is action, torment and violence, in all its forms,
especially the most shameful--from beatings to massacres. As
in good films, moods are expressed through actions, and
readers who are fond of instrospective literature will have
to do the reverse gymnastics. There is also love--preferably
bestial--disorderly passion, pitiless
> hate. In short, our goal is quite simple: to keep
you from
sleeping.
>
> Marcel Duhamel, founder of the S鲩e Noire.
1948
> translated by Karin Montin, 2006
>
> At 09:16 PM 18/12/2006 +0000, Al Guthrie
wrote:
> >Incidentally, here's a link (in French) to a
quote by Marcel
Duhamel
> >describing La Serie Noire books. I'm told that
he mentions
morality,
> >non-conformity, anguish, corruption, action,
violence and a host
of
> >other things we frequently talk about here. I
believe you've said
on
> >several occasions that we shouldn't redefine
what Duhamel
previously
> >defined. Well, now we have the words from his
lips and they
> >aren't 'dark and sinister'. I'd be most
appreciative if one of
the
> >French speakers on list has the time to
translate this.
> >
> >
http://www.noircommepolar.com/f/curiosa.php?curiosa_menu=4
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 18 Dec 2006 EST