Re: RARA-AVIS: Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö's Martin Beck series

From: Fred Willard (fwillard@bellsouth.net)
Date: 17 Apr 2009

  • Next message: Patrick King: "Re: RARA-AVIS: Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö's Martin Beck series"

    I would agree and disagree, thereby offending everyone.

    The Beck books were seen by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö as a tool for moral and social criticism.

    They were both Marxists.

    They can certainly be seen as procedurals, but there is a bite to them I don't think is particularly mainstream.

    As such, they at times have a bit of a hard boiled/noir feel to my ears, although I wouldn't consider them either.

    Something, I remember discussing years ago on this list, was that while HB/N writers have been all over the place politically, many of them seem to share an awareness of class and a sense that society is sick.

    f

    On Apr 17, 2009, at 4:09 PM, Stewart Wilson wrote:

    >
    >
    > Hi Harry,
    > They are mainstream procedurals. I don't think of them as noir.
    > Unless the larger story is something like "Beck's career", that title
    > is definitely symbolic.
    > Cheers,
    > --Stewart
    >
    > On Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 2:07 PM, Harry Joseph Lerner
    > <harry.joseph.lerner@mail.mcgill.ca> wrote:
    > > Hello Everyone,
    > >
    > > Is anyone familiar with Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö's Martin Beck
    > series? Are they at all noirish, or are they more mainstream
    > mystery? I know there are 10 novels in the series collectively
    > titled THE STORY OF A CRIME. Does this mean that the individual
    > novels are part of a larger single story arc or is the series title
    > more symbolic than literal?
    >
    > >
    > > Thanks!
    > > Harry
    > >
    > >
    > > ------------------------------------
    > >
    > > RARA-AVIS home page: http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/
    > > Yahoo! Groups Links
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    >
    > --
    > Stewart Wilson
    > Toronto, ON
    >
    >

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