February 3, 2008

Talking Trash About Thrillers

In today's New York Times, Charles McGrath has a piece about writer Joan Brady, the effects of glue-sniffing on her literary career, and why so many people think detective and mystery fiction isn't "real literature." Indeed, Ms. Brady won 115,000 pounds in a settlement after a ruling that glue in the environment around her home had affected her.
Ms. Brady apparently made the claim that writing detective and mystery fiction is somehow something less than writing literature. The discussion has gone on and is likely to go on for quite a while. See Mark Larson's piece in the Guardian. Meanwhile, successful mystery and thiller writers engagingly entertain a good many of us, and I suspect have very nice vacation homes to show for it.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

That is just so wrong, not calling Mystery Fiction literature. I've been reading Mystery Fiction for many years and I have so enjoy the writing skills of authors.

I just finished a trilogy by Mary E. Martin, called "The Osgoode Trilogy". The action, the posts, and the characters keep you reading...happily.

Check out these books and experience real writing, mystery style.

Happy Reading