tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post3588666204900820423..comments2024-03-26T17:48:56.627+00:00Comments on 'Do You Write Under Your Own Name?': The Wine of CertitudeMartin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-8911002129139831802009-05-21T22:40:33.367+01:002009-05-21T22:40:33.367+01:00Hi Martin,
I know this is an older thread, but I w...Hi Martin,<br />I know this is an older thread, but I wanted to share with you an interview I did with David Rooney a while ago. There's one icon that deals with the detective stories.<br /><br />http://www.holyfamilykofc.com/links.html<br /><br />Happy listening.<br />JohnJohn Saffiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-27610541794995730282009-02-25T10:15:00.000+00:002009-02-25T10:15:00.000+00:00Vicki, thanks for reminding me of the Skvorecky bo...Vicki, thanks for reminding me of the Skvorecky book. I haven't read it, but I must. I'm fascinated by the links between different types of crime stories, and those written in different periods.<BR/>Do you have any further observations on the book that you'd like to share?<BR/>And can you tell me if there is a Ronald Knox archive which might contain more info about his involvement with the Detection Club?Martin Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-44801172139848260272009-02-25T04:32:00.000+00:002009-02-25T04:32:00.000+00:00Thanks from me, too, Steve, for the link.Are y'all...Thanks from me, too, Steve, for the link.<BR/>Are y'all acquainted with 'Sins for Father Knox' by Josef Skvorecky? It's a collection of short mysteries each written to break one of the 10 rules. The reader has to guess which one. While the stories themselves didn't do much for me, I found the concept entertaining. Perhaps someone else could give it a shot?Vickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01786887184855384596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-69039544671736100502009-02-24T23:12:00.000+00:002009-02-24T23:12:00.000+00:00Steve - unaccountably, I'd missed this one on your...Steve - unaccountably, I'd missed this one on your site, so many thanks for the link. Both the post and the comments make for good reading. I must try and track down some of the Knox books.Martin Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-35510301499773827602009-02-24T23:07:00.000+00:002009-02-24T23:07:00.000+00:00Many thanks, Vicki. An interesting essay, and I li...Many thanks, Vicki. An interesting essay, and I like your site. Intriguing that Knox is so well remembered to this day.Martin Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-33363149286712736872009-02-24T16:41:00.000+00:002009-02-24T16:41:00.000+00:00MartinMy review of Knox's The Three Taps is here: ...Martin<BR/><BR/>My review of Knox's The Three Taps is here: http://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=1021<BR/><BR/>You may have already seen it, but perhaps not all of the long array of comments that followed it.<BR/><BR/>Here's the last line of my review, which is a good summing up, I think:<BR/><BR/> "Overall then: this tale is definitely dated – much of the current crowd of mystery readers isn’t going get very far into this one – but it’s their loss. This is a beautifully and wonderfully constructed detective story."<BR/><BR/>And I was impressed enough to obtain some of Knox's other detective work, much of which seems to be available in cheaper reprint editions. <BR/><BR/> --- SteveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-74105884300075569562009-02-24T01:22:00.000+00:002009-02-24T01:22:00.000+00:00The piece on Father Brown can be read on our websi...The piece on Father Brown can be read on our website: www.ronaldknoxsociety.comVickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01786887184855384596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-395768422903775932009-02-23T23:24:00.000+00:002009-02-23T23:24:00.000+00:00Thanks, Elizabeth. Timetables were certainly very ...Thanks, Elizabeth. Timetables were certainly very popular in those days!<BR/>Vicki - very interesting. Many thanks. There's more to come about the Decalogue etc in a future post. I must try and track down 'Literary Distractions'.Martin Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-59207453396951176652009-02-23T16:03:00.000+00:002009-02-23T16:03:00.000+00:00Martin,I have only just begun to read 'The Win...Martin,<BR/>I have only just begun to read 'The Wine of Certitude' - mea culpa - and have not yet got to the chapter on Knox's detective fiction. So please forgive me if I comment about things which you already know.<BR/>'The Body in the Silo' is probably my favorite novel, also, as it excels in delightful repartee between Miles & Angela - reminiscent of Tommy & Tuppence, or Nick & Nora. And, yes, the descriptions of the locale are masterful. But 'Double Cross Purposes' is hands-down my favorite title!<BR/>A few things which might interest you:<BR/>1. Knox wrote the introduction to 'The Best English Detective Stories of 1928' in which he lists - for the added entertainment of the reader - the exact point in each story at which the reader should be able to figure out 'whodunnit'. This intro<BR/>also contains his famous 'Ten Rules' and other commentary on the nature of detective stories.<BR/>2. Knox wrote several papers on his theories about detective fiction, and one on Father Brown in particular, which are published here & there, notably in 'Literary Distractions'. <BR/>3. Like Fr Brown, Knox had no illusions as to the nature of crime & evil, but he cannot bring himself to write descriptively about the seedier aspects of crime/criminals. His primary purpose was intellectual entertainment, pure & simple. I think this is what makes his characters seem so wooden; he is not attempting to paint people as they really are. They are pieces in his chess game. Oddly enough, I think he did this, not out of misplaced "Victorian hypocracy" but out of courtesy & respect for real people.<BR/>I'm in the middle of reading the 'Letters of Raymond Chandler' - who excelled in the seedy - so perhaps that is what brings this contrast to mind!<BR/>Anyway, good luck & much enjoyment to you in reading Knox's novels. They are not as wordy as Sayer's, nor as pithy as Christie's, but they make enjoyable reading for those who appreciate the genre.<BR/>Best wishes,<BR/>Vicki McCaffrey<BR/>Pres., Ronald Knox SocietyVickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01786887184855384596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-74841314672871544052009-02-23T13:28:00.000+00:002009-02-23T13:28:00.000+00:00Martin,I quite liked Knox's _The Footsteps at the ...Martin,<BR/>I quite liked Knox's _The Footsteps at the Lock_ (1928), which is a "timetable"-type story akin to Sayers's _Five Red Herrings_.Elizabeth Foxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10151714538393844565noreply@blogger.com