Translated Crime Fiction

[Stewart]

There's a section by Jonathan Gibbs in today's Independent dealing with crime fiction in an 'around the world' capacity. He does't quite get to visiting eighty different countries, preferring to linger in both the UK & Ireland and North America, but with detectives from other far flung places, such as Greenland, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, and Botswana.

It got me thinking that we need a thread for translated crime fiction, since, when out in book shops, it seems the most prevalent genre for people to read, not bothering that the text is a translation or not.

[Eric]

It's all harmless fun. (Readers of crime fiction in translation don't necessarily get bumped off themselves.) But isn't this yet another manic lists man? He blurs the distinction between setting and where the author comes from, in his obsession with filling the 80 slots.

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by Eric

He blurs the distinction between setting and where the author comes from, in his obsession with filling the 80 slots.

That's true. But I'm not too fussed with the list itself, and I'm just using it as a jumping off point into the wider topic.

I'm not likely to read much crime fiction as it has never interested me, even when growing up I never ventured too far into thrillers of that ilk. But every time I got to Borders or Waterstone's I alway see some new crime fiction from some other land. The latest being some Greek detective. But the UK seems to read loads of Scandinavian crime and with Gallic Books, referenced elsewhere, bringing some French crime to the market, not to mention Georges Simenon's name used here, that I thought we could do with a thread for them.

[Heteronym]

You know, they've just published the first complete edition of Fernando Pessoa's detective stories (the man is a box of surprises). If anyone ever wants to translate Portuguse crime fiction, they should start with that.

[LizzySiddal]

Originally Posted by Eric

But isn't this yet another manic lists man? He blurs the distinction between setting and where the author comes from, in his obsession with filling the 80 slots.

Comment from a manic list woman:

Yes he does. But I care not. I find this list exciting .... I recognise so many. Loads in the TBR. I must get cracking ......

[Stewart]

A list picked up from a post on LibraryThing shows a library with a foreign crime page.

[Howard]

It's a decent enough list, Stewart, but at least three years out of date. There have been a great many more titles that have appeared since then - I should know, as I've translated quite a few of them!

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by Howard

It's a decent enough list, Stewart, but at least three years out of date.

I spotted that, given that there was only one Boris Akunin there. Would have expected more.

There have been a great many more titles that have appeared since then - I should know, as I've translated quite a few of them!

Yes, I was reading somewhere a few weeks back about Jean-Claude Izzo, the Marseilles trilogy, and yourself.

[Howard]

Ah, where did you read that, Stewart?

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by Howard

Ah, where did you read that, Stewart?

Took me a bit of time to remember, but now I see that it was on Salonica's blog, here and here.

[Howard]

I read that on Salonica when it appeared, and wrote to Monica Carter, whose blog it is, to thank her for her comments.

The Marseilles Trilogy, and the two other Izzo books I've translated, have had some extraordinary reactions in the USA. Another American blogger, Vince Keenan, has written that the Marseilles Trilogy is the highest peak of crime fiction in the past decade. I couldn't comment on that, as I read too little crime fiction, but I do agree that Izzo was a remarkable writer.

[Mirabell]

You translated Izzo for the English?

The Marseille Trilogy is one of my favorite crime novel (yes I count it as one, as it should be). Very very good. I gave away copies in german and french to diverse friends.

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by Howard

The Marseilles Trilogy, and the two other Izzo books I've translated, have had some extraordinary reactions in the USA. Another American blogger, Vince Keenan, has written that the Marseilles Trilogy is the highest peak of crime fiction in the past decade.

It must feel great that something you've worked on has that sort of reaction.

...I do agree that Izzo was a remarkable writer.

We need a thread on him then, don't we? Done.

[spooooool]

Bitter Lemon Press is an imprint i remember, i'll be buying Izzo soon i think

[Jayaprakash]

Georges Simenon's Maigret mysteries are generally quite good. They're all fairly short as well, and several are available in translation as Penguin Modern Classics and Penguin Red Classics. Maigret And The Toy Village may be a good starter title. It has a good bit of that mundane, yet oddly transcendent mood of these books at their best.

I've read a fair amount of what they call cozy mysteries, and a few of the more forensic mysteries one sees in bookshops these days, and I find I prefer something that falls in between, is neither a thinly-disguised puzzle with stock characters or a gruelling excursion into the mind of a killer and the various fluids and emissions he leaves behind. Simenon about hits that spot to perfection with his matter-of-fact, man of the people Inspector Maigret.

The Indian film maker, Satyajit Ray, wrote a rather good series of mystery stories about a detective named Feluda, which were released in translation by Penguin India at some point and may well have found their way to the international list.

[Howard]

As I've said on the Simenon thread, in my opinion the best of Simenon is in his non-Maigret novels, and anyone who's only read Maigret has never really read Simenon.

Having said that, I agree with Jayaprakash that the Maigret books, at their best, are very good. I'd go further and say that Simenon in his Maigret mode is one of a handful of crime writers to be judged at the highest level (in the same company, I'd certainly nominate Raymond Chandler, Patricia Highsmith, and a writer who's somewhat forgotten these days, Ross Macdonald).

If I had to recommend just a few Maigret books to show the series at its best, I'd mention My Friend Maigret, Maigret's Mistake and Maigret Sets a Trap (no idea how easily available they are these days in English).

[JPS]

Certainly anything you can find by Jean-Patrick Manchette, the pre-eminent writer (and indeed inventor) of the modern roman noir.

And if you can find a used copy, René Belletto's Eclipse, the only novel translated into English by this other master of the literary noir. If you read French, read his great Lyon trilogy.

[Stewart]

Coming next month, The Final Bet by Abdelilah Hamdouchi. Apparently the first Arabic detective novel to be translated to English.

[Max Cairnduff]

I've only read the first of the Marseilles Trilogy so far, Izzo is spectacular and the book was skilfully translated (so thanks Howard if that was your work there).

In terms of roman noir, the Italian writer Massimo Carlotto is superlative. The Goodbye Kiss (Arrividerci Amore, Ciao) is a work of noir which acts as a scathing commentary on contemporary Italy, and which I recommend in the highest terms. The best noir is inherently literary, its concerns are literary concerns, this is not an exception.

Now to look upthread to check out some of the suggestions here in more detail.

[saliotthomas]

Originally Posted by Stewart

Coming next month, The Final Bet by Abdelilah Hamdouchi. Apparently the first Arabic detective novel to be translated to English.

Maybe in Arabic but Driss Chraibi who is Moroccain but wrote in French as few dective novel.The inspector Ali been the most famoust.
Inspector Ali, Driss Chraibi, Book - Barnes & Noble

He is very good,Mother of spring i'm currently reading is excellent.

I have not seem metion of Tonino Benacquista Italien living in France.Might interest Lizzy Siddal.
Amazon.com: Holy Smoke: Tonino Benacquista, Adriana Hunter: Books