I believe what I said in the column - and I am still puzzled about why we appear to love other countries' books over our own. What do you think? Make a comment here or email me (cathy@catherineastolfo.com). I'd love a discussion!
It’s a mystery to me why Canadians
aren’t more aware of the proliferation of homegrown writers in the crime genre.
Next to romance, it’s the most popular field in terms of book/ebook purchases,
not just in Canada, but worldwide. Fictional mysteries run the gamut from dark
and gritty to cozy. They feature trained professionals or amateurs caught in a
dangerous situation as heroes or heroines. Often the topics included in the
stories are a reflection of our societal concerns and fears. There’s a puzzle
to be solved and, perhaps more enticing, the bad guys are usually punished.
Non-fiction crime gives us insight and information about national and
international injustice, from a Canadian perspective.
On Thursday, April 19, I became a
finalist for the Arthur Ellis Awards for excellence in mystery and crime
writing published in the year 2011. This is a huge honour for me and my fellow
nominees. Some of the biggest names in Canadian mystery appear on this list.
For instance, in the category of Best Novel, you’ll see Louise Penny, Peter
Robinson, Alan Bradley, William Deverell, and Robert Rotenberg. If don’t really
recognize some of these names and you didn’t know about the Arthur Ellis
Awards, I hate to tell you: you haven’t been paying attention to the Canadian
scene, and you’re not alone.
So why don’t Canadians know more
about our own writers and the highest award for our authors of mystery and
crime? First, a little help from Jack Bumsted, from the Whodunit Mystery store
in Winnipeg (www.whodunitcanada.com):
“The Canadian literary canon does have a problem with the
thriller [mystery/detective] in that it does not recognize the genre as a
legitimate one for important writing.” He goes on to say that, “The historical
invisibility of the Canadian thriller before the 1960s is a complex product of
a colonized culture.”
Fortunately, things are beginning
to look rosier as we move away from that old colonized cultural perspective.
Mystery has emerged as a genre that is often very “literary”; that is, “important
writing”. Just sample a few of the books on the Arthur Ellis shortlist and I
think you will agree. The
phenomenon of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has caused readers to sit up and
pay attention to crime books. Someone recently stated that the “Canadians are
the new Scandinavians” because our authors have become internationally beloved.
The CBC has pursued many of our
national authors for television programs (think Murdoch Mysteries), because
it’s also the most popular genre in that medium too. Anansi, a well-respected
Canadian literary publisher, opened an imprint for mystery.
The National Post, last year, became the media sponsor for
Crime Writers of Canada (CWC), and therefore the best source for what’s new in
the genre.
CWC’s mission is to raise the profile of mystery authors in
Canada. One of the ways of doing that is through awards for excellence: hence,
the Arthur Ellis Awards.
Seems to me there is a crime wave
in Canada, of the write kind. And I think that this is a good thing. So pay
attention, Canada, and you’ll be treated to puzzles, wild rides, thrills,
justice, and, in general, important writing.
Catherine Astolfo
Past Past President, Crime Writers of Canada
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