Léo Malet and the Evolution of the French Roman Noir

From Surrealism to Less-Exquisite Cadavers
Léo Malet and the Evolution of the French Roman Noir

Edited by Michelle Emanuel, With a Foreword by Peter Schulman
Amsterdam/New York, NY 2006. 196 pp. (Faux Titre 288)
ISBN-10: 90-420-2080-6 Paper € 40,-/US$ 52.-
ISBN-13: 978-90-420-2080-1

Les nouveaux mystères de Paris (1954-1959), Léo Malet's fifteen-novel detective series inspired by Eugène Sue's nineteenth-century feuilleton, almost achieved the goal of setting a mystery in each of the twenty Parisian arrondissements, with Nestor Burma at the center of the action. In Burma, the “détective de choc” first introduced in 1943's 120 rue de la gare, Malet, considered the “father” of the French roman noir, creates a cultural hybrid, bringing literary references and surrealist techniques to a criminal milieu.Michelle Emanuel's groundbreaking study is particularly insightful in its treatment of Malet as a pioneer within the literary genre of the French roman noir while making sure to also focus on his surrealist roots.Against the archetypes of Simenon's Maigret and Christie's Poirot, Burma is brash and streetwise, peppering his speech with colorful and evocative slang. As the reader's tour guide, Burma highlights Paris's forgotten past while providing insight to the Paris of (his) present, referencing both popular culture and contemporary issues. Malet's innovation of setting a noir narrative in France serves as a catalyst for further change in the policier genre in France, including his contemporary Jean Amila, the néo-polar of Jean-Patrick Manchette, and the historical roman noir of Didier Daeninckx




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