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.