Re : RARA-AVIS: Political thrillers - Mandel

From: E.H. Borgers (ehborg@gmail.com)
Date: 26 Aug 2008

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    MrT, I cannot be more in agreement than with this type of statement.

    And pushing a little further I would say that noir (as a wide field, not restricted as some tend to believe) by its diversity and existential content is the most relevant of all. And we see more and more authors of real value using noir to develop first class literature, from Ellroy to David Peace, from Manchette to Andrew McGahan. On the other hand, the social criticism, and by this the political analysis of our times and corruptions, is always present, at least implicitly in the good and very good HB/noir. A major characteristic of HB/noir- and not necessarily by proclaiming some political slogans or routines in their novels, nor by producing those unsubtle "romans à thèse". Their content in the best noir is not pure entertainment: it's also, and mainly, literature: besides Kafka, Joyce, Celine

    My two cents with the help of G-mail

    E.Borgers POLAR NOIR http://www.geocities.com/polarnoir/

    Your message: Sayers and Christie are essentially irrelevant today, whereas both the Hammett-Chandler tradition and the Thompson, Goodis, Woolrich et al are more relevant than ever. In the case of the noir guys, their work taps directly into the fearful people that we have become. Just like Franz Kafka is more relevant than John Galsworthy.. .

    mrt



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