Crime
fiction, film and television are extremely popular among readers and viewers
worldwide. Fiction writers are often
categorized, listed and known for their particular genre; be it crime, mystery, romance, horror, science fiction and
so on. Genre is defined by
Merriam-Webster as a category of artistic, musical, or literary
composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content. And as stated by Joyce Carol Oates in The New York Review of Books, “In genre fiction there is an implied contract between writer and reader that
justice of a kind will be exacted; ‘good’ may not always triumph over ‘evil’, but the distinction between the two must be
honored.”
I
have often been asked why I chose mystery and crime fiction as my literary genre.
It might be more accurate to say that the genre chose me; and to add
that a particular genre is simply the vehicle
in which the writer journeys through the landscape he or she is compelled to
explore. In my experience as a reader it
is the theme and not the plot of a
novel that carries universal and lasting impact; making the particular genre
secondary to the thoughts and feelings which the writer is consciously or
unconsciously driven to express. Crime and Punishment, Les Miserables, The Count of Monte Cristo are,
on the surface, crime novels; classic literary works that greatly influenced
generations of readers and future writers; not as a consequence of their genre,
but for their examination of the trials and tribulations of the human
experience. Similarly, the same holds
for visual art and music. A timeless
painting or a lasting musical composition is one that leaves a profound
impression on the viewer or the listener; be it renaissance, religious,
impressionist, avant-garde, symbolic, dada, classical, folk, country, blues,
jazz or rock and roll.
That
being said, the selection of crime fiction as my vehicle of choice was a consequence
of my exposure to literary works which examined crime and its ramifications and
which greatly influenced me as a young man and adult; Dostoyevsky, Arthur Conan
Doyle, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Jim Thompson. And by exposure to films like The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, On The
Waterfront, Anatomy of a Murder, Witness for the Prosecution, The French
Connection, The Godfather and countless others.
So,
the question arises. Are we, practitioners of the written word and members of
professional guilds like the Mystery Writers of America and the International Thriller
Writers, novelists or crime novelists. And the simple answer is we are writers,
willing to use any means of transport which will help us tell our tale and help
attract the attention of potential followers.
