Just been lucky enough to read a copy - exceptional stuff again. It was what I was hoping for - lots of focus on Bernie Gunthers war experiences. Like some previous books it moves backwards and forwards in time - starting in 1954. I won't say amymore but I don't think fans will be disappointed!
I have just started reading "Field Grey" and am enjoying it just like all the other Bernie Gunther novels. However, there is one thing that is perplexing me. Why is the detail on the dust jacket, which talks of Bernie being deported from Florida to a prison in the Isle of Pines and meeting Fidel Castro, so different from the book itself. I am around halfway through the book and have skimmed the rest of it but this plot line doesn't seem to appear anywhere. Was this a plot line for an earlier draft of the book and the blurb has not been updated when the book was published?
I have just finished reading "Field Grey". Class. That's about the only word for it. Have now found and read all the Bernie novels in the last 6 months (late convert). Only disappointment is that it is probably a year or more to the next installment. This is genre writing that is a cut above the rest. Congratulations Mr Kerr.
Also just discovered PK and BG, Started reading Berlin Noir last week and enjoying it very much. Looking forward to the rest of the Bernie Gunther series.
A question for anyone...the idiomatic speech that BG uses, the slang, has a very "American 'hard boiled' detective sound to it. I am guessing that PK researched the speech and vernacular of the time period, Berlin 1930's. Did this strike anyone else, or is it just my 'ear'?
Welcome, WML. When you're done with March Violets or the whole of Berlin Noir, please come back and let everyone know what you think.
PK did a postgraduate degree in the '80s that focused on German law and philosophy -- specifically of the Nazi period -- and spent a lot of time in Berlin doing research. But there wasn't much info available at that time and he had to really become something of a detective himself to ferret out the details of life and law in 1930s Germany. Apparently that's sort of what led to the idea of writing a novel about that particular place and time and ultimately to the creation of Bernie Gunther. Now, add to the mix the fact that PK was a huge fan of Chandler and Hammett and it's not hard to see how he came to ask himself what kind of character Chandler would have created if he had moved to Berlin instead of Los Angeles when he left London. Bernie clearly pays some tribute to Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade.
As for the vernacular of the time… it's hard to say. Certainly PK must have delved into countless magazines, newspapers, and books of the time. Though he says his German is not great due to the fact that everyone in Berlin speaks English.
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>>>Coming in October 2010 to the U.K. market and probably spring 2011 to the U.S. >>>market. Hat tip to tomtuite for catching this one.
Glad to be of help.
A question for anyone...the idiomatic speech that BG uses, the slang, has a very "American 'hard boiled' detective sound to it. I am guessing that PK researched the speech and vernacular of the time period, Berlin 1930's. Did this strike anyone else, or is it just my 'ear'?
PK did a postgraduate degree in the '80s that focused on German law and philosophy -- specifically of the Nazi period -- and spent a lot of time in Berlin doing research. But there wasn't much info available at that time and he had to really become something of a detective himself to ferret out the details of life and law in 1930s Germany. Apparently that's sort of what led to the idea of writing a novel about that particular place and time and ultimately to the creation of Bernie Gunther. Now, add to the mix the fact that PK was a huge fan of Chandler and Hammett and it's not hard to see how he came to ask himself what kind of character Chandler would have created if he had moved to Berlin instead of Los Angeles when he left London. Bernie clearly pays some tribute to Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade.
As for the vernacular of the time… it's hard to say. Certainly PK must have delved into countless magazines, newspapers, and books of the time. Though he says his German is not great due to the fact that everyone in Berlin speaks English.
Regarding my question on vernacular and slang of the period, yes I would think that PK researched mags and journals of the period as you suggest.
I guess I am just used to expecting characters from that period, to sound like the dialogue from Hollywood films..accurately or not.
I am looking forward to the entire BG series.