John Banville and Reginald Hill were interviewed at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival by Mark Lawson. By the time you read this, you’ll probably have already read the media reports of the controversial comments made by Banville, leading to replies that Banville is ‘slumming it’ when writing crime fiction, or thinks he is. But here are some notes I took of the event, to give you a flavour.
In his introductions, Lawson noted that it was the first time a Man Booker Prize winner had appeared at a crime festival and asked Banville if his Benjamin Black books had been entered into the Man Booker. Banville replied ‘No. I have higher ambitions. I want to win the Nobel Prize.’ That came across as an attempt at humour.
Asked about the literary divide and if he draws that distinction, Banville said he ‘considers all prizes consolations as the books didn’t sell.’ He added that it’s difficult to sell a literary book and that he hates the divide between literary and popular fiction.
On the same topic, Reg Hill provided a little history. He said that most of his friends are literary novelists and it’s hard to avoid the distinction, but he’d like to. Years ago, crime writers were reviewed in a smaller amount and a different typeface in the press. The difference, he asserted, was like apartheid: it shouldn’t be there, but it was. He recalled an article in the Guardian about PLR where the comment was made ‘I find it very hard to find any writer in the top 100 for whom I have any respect.’ Hill was positioned at number 38 at the time.
On his protagonist Quirk, Banville said, ‘There aren’t any Sherlock Holmeses in the world. Most stumble along. Quirk is just as dumb as the rest of us. In the second book he misses the point completely.’ Banville also stressed that he doesn’t want everything explained and he doesn’t want ‘tidy.’
Why did he take up crime fiction? ‘At the time I thought I’d amuse myself and make some money.’ He described the decision with hindsight as ‘a far more momentous adventure with John Banville needing some sort of push or kick.’ He did not know what the outcome might be and had not expected to write ‘this kind of book’ in his sixties. He claimed that he hates his Banville books but loves his Black books.
Banville went on explain that he talks about Benjamin Black as a separate entity and employs an ‘entirely different method.’ This led into the comments already reported where he noted that, as Banville writing literary fiction he manages some 100 words a day, but as Black he speedily produces about 2,000. I don’t believe that audience reaction at the time was on a par with the media reporting, as I don’t recall any gasping or whispering. Indeed, my notes do not go into great detail on the matter. Perhaps the readership contingent present was more welcoming.
On pseudonyms, Hill said he had three in his time, leading to a ‘not so much split, but a fractured personality.’ When he started writing, he opened up in all directions and was quite prolific, producing several books a year for a number of years. Thus his publisher recommended the use of pseudonyms ‘In order not to confuse your readers.’ Hill noted that in writing today, he has now slowed down and it’s not just because of age. He now knows about writing, how hard it is and this makes it harder. Finding different ways to tell stories is difficult and takes time. On the other hand, Hill also recognised that he has ready made characters who have developed over the years and he can hit the ground running, not having to start from the base of creating characters too.
Banville made another interesting comment towards the end of the interview. He referred to ‘book reviewers who call themselves critics’ and thinks they ‘despise crime as they see the mechanics of it.’
Some hot words from a Man Booker Prize winner. What did come across for me was that Banville is having fun writing his crime novels. You can choose to read him or not. You can find the usual standard of crime writing in his novels or not. Ultimately readers will decide and whether he makes the money he cheekily admitted to hoping for will be determined in the future.
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