Dispatches From Noir

Anonymous asked: what is "noir novels?"

I have addressed this point here and here.  Nonetheless, it is a good time to reiterate my view of what noir is, given that I was just questioning the noir bona fides of Stieg Larsson.

Noir is, to some degree, a matter of “I know it when I see it.”  If you read the previous posts, you’ll see that noir developed out of the hardboiled tradition.  Authors like James M. Cain and Cornell Woolrich wrote stories that were as bleak and hard as anything hardboiled (if not more so!), but  did not center on the hardboiled detective. 

There is no Philip Marlowe or Continental Op to set things right in Cain’s writing.  The protagonists are undone by their own desires, just like everyone else.  James M. Cain was an early pioneer of noir, and other notable noir authors include Cornell Woolrich, Dorothy B. Hughes, Jim Thompson, Patricia Highsmith and George V. Higgins.  More recently, Elmore Leonard, Dennis Lehane and James Sallis have all written excellent noir.

In a nutshell, this is what noir fiction is.  It is not film noir, which can be based on a work of literary noir (Double Indemnity, Strangers on a Train), but may also be derived from hardboiled fiction (The Maltese Falcon).  

As always, I invite readers to offer alternate views or clarifications to my own opinion.

thelamplightersserenade asked: Do you have recommendations for spy novels? I've read Tinker Tailor and plan to read the rest of the Karla trilogy, I have the IPCRESS Files on my list, and the Company. Do you have any cold war films/novels you can recommend?

John le Carré’s Cold War novels are good (his post-Cold War novels are less so).  I would especially recommend The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (and the movie with Richard Burton).  I have a number of espionage novels around, I just have yet to read them all.  The definitive Cold War neo-noir is probably The Manchurian Candidate, though the novel by Richard Condon is not really noir.  The Third Man also deals with international politics, as do a number of other Graham Greene novels.

Eric Ambler wrote some hardboiled spy thrillers.  The Fallen Sparrow, by the always excellent Dorothy B. Hughes, has some foreign intrigue in the plot.  Richard Hershatter and Andrew Garve wrote pulpy espionage novels, as did Donald Hamilton (Matt Helm doesn’t remotely resemble Dean Martin, by the way).

And let us not forget Ian Fleming’s James Bond.  As I have argued previously, I think James Bond is a hardboiled hero.  Especially in Casino Royale, which has near-noirish fatalism.  In the other novels, the noir elements are perhaps less apparent.  But he is a hardboiled, pulpy hero—a Tory Mike Hammer, if you will.

itswhatpeopledo asked: I absolutely love the Noir genre and hard-boiled detective fiction etc etc. So far, I'm trying to read all of Raymond Chandler's novels with Philip Marlowe because I absolutely looove it. Any suggested authors? You can give me a long list, because I plan on reading as many as I can. Movies/directors too if you can! I would also love to learn about the general time period (Pretty much the 1900s-1950s, more or less), so if you know some good ways to do that, it would also be much appreciated.

The hardboiled/noir trilogy is Hammett, Chandler and Cain.  I would advise reading them to understand the foundations of the genre (if we can it a genre—and this is debated).  But it’s important to know that hardboiled/noir splits into two streams: hardboiled and noir.  I’ve addressed the difference before, but I think it’s important to keep in mind.  

You seem more interested in hardboiled P.I. fiction than noir, so I’ll focus on that.  But I think Cain (noir) is important reading for any fan of crime fiction, as are Cornell Woolrich, Jim Thompson.  My personal favorite is Dorothy B. Hughes, who blends hardboiled dialogue with noir plots and writes thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

There is so much hardboiled fiction.  I’ve stacks and stacks of it in my living room (I now have seven stacks instead of five—and all of them are taller than they were two months ago).  Hammet and Chandler are essential starting points.  The hardboiled trinity is Hammett, Chandler and Ross Macdonald (of whom more shortly).  But from there it just branches out.  John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee series (most of the novels are set in South Florida) is a favorite of mine.  Walter Moseley’s Easy Rawlins novels are top-notch mysteries.  What’s more, they are brilliant explorations of race and the American experience.  Early Spenser novels by Robert B. Parker have some of the best tough-guy dialogue ever put on paper.  Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer makes a lot of other hardboiled dicks look like sissies.

I can go on and on and on recommending hardboiled literature.  Not all hardboiled heroes are private detectives.  Michael Connelly’s Harry Busch is a cop, as are the characters in Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series.  

I think that would be a good start, and you can always peruse the Currently Reading tag.  I’m always reading new books, so keep an eye out for my recommendations.  If you want a detective from a specific place (Denver, Miami, etc.) or with a distinguishing feature (African American, gay, female, etc.), I’d be happy to give some specific recommendations.  

There is infinite variety in hardboiled literature.  I would advise wading in and just read as widely as possible.