Sarah Weinman links to an interesting article in the Guardian that considers the current state of crime fiction around the world.
The column was prompted by a recent change by the Crime Writers' Association (CWA) to restrict eligibility for their prestigious Gold Dagger Award to novels originally written in English, a reaction to the fact that three of the past five winners have been translated books.
The author of the piece, noted critic Marcel Berlins, writes:
Is British and American crime writing in decline? Are the two countries that have dominated the genre for more than a century losing it? Are Italians, French, German, Spanish and Nordic authors writing better crime books? (Notice I didn't say Scandinavians, which would have excluded Iceland.)
I've been reviewing crime fiction for more than 20 years, and I do believe that the English (though not Scottish or American) crime fiction scene is in difficulties. It's mainly a problem with age. PD James is in her 80s, Ruth Rendell, 75. Many other first-division writers are in or nudging their 60s. But where are the good young authors to take their place? There are some, of course, but my point is that in the crime fiction field England has lost its supremacy. It is no fluke that so many crime novels by other European writers are occupying shortlists and winners' podiums. The best of them are very good indeed.
In the comments section of Weinman's blog, Mystery Ink's own Fiona Walker makes a great point: if a publisher is willing to buy a "foreign" crime novel and translate it into English, that's a pretty good bet that it's of at least reasonably high quality. Considering that the number of books that fit that criterion is going to be low (How many European crime novels are published in translation each year? Not a huge number.), you're only going to see the best.
It seems a little silly even to talk about U.S. crime fiction being in decline. There is such an unimaginably huge volume of books being published that there is almost literally something for everyone. And with writers like Connelly, Lippman, Ferrigno, Pelecanos, Eisler, TJ Parker, Rozan, etc. plying their trade, the quality of the best is as good as it's ever been, if not better. It's almost like making the claim that "Apples aren't very good anymore...not like they used to be." If you don't like the one you're eating, pick up the next. There are thousands more to choose from.
There might be some truth to the claim that English fiction is a bit moribund at the moment. As a reader, I find it difficult to connect with most of the British books that I try. (I tend to find them cold and anemic.) But that's undoubtedly more a matter of personal taste. I also think the English are being overshadowed to a certain extent by the Scots who are doing quite well at the moment.
Even so, newer English authors like Billingham, Kernick, Hayder, etc. have certainly attracted their share of attention and fans. So if the established masters are getting long in the tooth, there is definitely a crop of younger writers who are stepping up to take their place. Granted, there aren't a huge number of them...But presumably there are more in the UK who haven't made the leap to the States yet.
Overall, I think that crime fiction (American, English, Scottish, Spanish, Scandinavian, whatever) is currently enjoying an extraordinary run of both high quality and popular success that is probably unprecedented. I hope it continues.
