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In a perfect marriage of author and subject, P. D. James--one of the most widely admired writers of detective fiction at work today--gives us a personal, lively, illuminating exploration of the human appetite for mystery and mayhem, and of those writers who have satisfied it.P. D. James examines the genre from top to bottom, beginning with the mysteries at the hearts of such novels as Charles Dickens's Bleak House and Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White, and bringing us into the present with such writers as Colin Dexter and Henning Mankell. Along the way she writes about Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie ("arch-breaker of rules"), Josephine Tey, Dashiell Hammett, and Peter Lovesey, among many others. She traces their lives into and out of their fiction, clarifies their individual styles, and gives us indelible portraits of the characters they've created, from Sherlock Holmes to Sara Paretsky's sexually liberated female investigator, V. I. Warshawski. She compares British and American Golden Age mystery writing. She discusses detective fiction as social history, the stylistic components of the genre, her own process of writing, how critics have reacted over the years, and what she sees as a renewal of detective fiction--and of the detective hero--in recent years.There is perhaps no one who could write about this enduring genre of storytelling with equal authority and flair: it is essential reading for every lover of detective fiction.From the Hardcover edition.
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Previews available in: English
Subjects
English Detective and mystery stories, History and criticism, Crime, Literary Criticism, Nonfiction, Authorship, Technique, Detective and mystery stories, Detective and mystery stories, history and criticism, English fiction, history and criticism, 20th century, American fiction, history and criticism, 20th century, New York Times reviewed, Detective and mystery stories, authorship, Detective and mystery stories, technique, English fiction, history and criticism, Kriminalliteratur, Novela policiaca, Historia y crítica, Arte de escribirShowing 5 featured editions. View all 12 editions?
Edition | Availability |
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1
Talking about detective fiction
2011, Vintage Books
in English
- 1st Vintage Books ed.
0307743136 9780307743138
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2
Todo Lo Que Se Sobre Novela Negra Talking about Detective Fiction
No Ficcion
2011, Ediciones B, B (Ediciones B)
8466644423 9788466644426
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3
Talking about Detective Fiction
2009, Bodleian Library
Hardcover
in English
1851243097 9781851243099
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4
Talking about detective fiction
2009, Alfred A. Knopf
in English
- 1st American ed.
0307592820 9780307592828
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5
Talking about detective fiction
2009, Alfred A. Knopf
in English
- 1st American ed.
0307592820 9780307592828
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June 15, 2024 | Edited by Sabrina1083 | added format |
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