The Roman Noir in Post-War French Culture

Thrilling, absorbing, and full of bizarre plots twists and motivations, the roman noir is crime fiction at its most exciting. In this lively introduction to the post-war French roman noir, Claire Gorrara challenges preconceptions about the roman noir as little more than a populist form of crime fiction and examines how selected writers have appropriated it as a critical response to formative concerns and debates in post-war French society. Analysing six texts (including one film noir) in their historical context, The Roman Noir in Post-War French Culture offers much more than close readings of these fascinating crime fiction texts; it demonstrates the important contribution of the roman noir to the cultural histories of post-war France.