My gay, Torres Strait Islander stand-up comedian mate does a riff on the interest of middle-aged white men in WW2, and I think he'd like the verb you used - 'ease.' Made me laugh! I'm no exception - my particular interest is seaplane and guerilla warfare in PNG, New Britain, and the Solomons.
Thanks for the recommends Andrew, as ever intriguing: especially A Man Lies Dreaming. I'm new to Tidhar, with just Maror under my belt, and I like the look of the alternate history seam he is mining, let alone the sci-fi. The TBR list grows ever longer.
I've been mulling over the phrase your friend Alf Mayer used on FB in regard to this post- 'state noir.' It's a good one, so full of dread and hopelessness, and encompassing so much - especially the murky swamp of personal responsibility, something that I feel is rocket fuel in crime writing. 1984 feels like the grand-daddy book here, the Bernie Gunther novels undoubtedly exist in this world, Maror too, and Mullen's Darktown series also springs to mind. There's a lot that fits the bill. I'm guessing Revolutions in 35mm will reveal films of this nature.
Beyond the terror, paranoia and control, it's unsettling when the state is ultimately the villain because the evil-doers the plot/narrative run on might well be pawns, even victims, and that makes meaningful retribution difficult - and all that personal responsibility even filthier.
Though nothing like Nazi Germany or the Black experience in America, I had my own taste of state noir living in Queensland, Australia in the 1980s, and it was scary enough.
Read Tidhar's The Violent Century last year, which I loved. Been meaning to read more - thanks for the reminder!
Andrew. Great write up. Will check out those books. Keep it up mate
Cheers, David, look forward to catching up when you are back in Australia.
Where do I get the book on Mengele..?
Hard to find in Australia. I actually bought at the bookshop of Dachau concentration camp, when I visited it. You can get it online but it costs more.
We’re back……….
Right, well, if you are Melbourne way, let me know, and vice versa.
We’re in Sydney now. Where online? Couldn’t find it. Lmk. Cheers
https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/859-the-disappearance-of-josef-mengele
My gay, Torres Strait Islander stand-up comedian mate does a riff on the interest of middle-aged white men in WW2, and I think he'd like the verb you used - 'ease.' Made me laugh! I'm no exception - my particular interest is seaplane and guerilla warfare in PNG, New Britain, and the Solomons.
Thanks for the recommends Andrew, as ever intriguing: especially A Man Lies Dreaming. I'm new to Tidhar, with just Maror under my belt, and I like the look of the alternate history seam he is mining, let alone the sci-fi. The TBR list grows ever longer.
I've been mulling over the phrase your friend Alf Mayer used on FB in regard to this post- 'state noir.' It's a good one, so full of dread and hopelessness, and encompassing so much - especially the murky swamp of personal responsibility, something that I feel is rocket fuel in crime writing. 1984 feels like the grand-daddy book here, the Bernie Gunther novels undoubtedly exist in this world, Maror too, and Mullen's Darktown series also springs to mind. There's a lot that fits the bill. I'm guessing Revolutions in 35mm will reveal films of this nature.
Beyond the terror, paranoia and control, it's unsettling when the state is ultimately the villain because the evil-doers the plot/narrative run on might well be pawns, even victims, and that makes meaningful retribution difficult - and all that personal responsibility even filthier.
Though nothing like Nazi Germany or the Black experience in America, I had my own taste of state noir living in Queensland, Australia in the 1980s, and it was scary enough.
Fascinating! I admire a mind that can reimagine the world—like Lavie Tidhar.