D.C. Noir 2: The Classics (Akashic Noir) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1933354585 ISBN 13: 9781933354583

Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd., 2008

Synopsis

Pelecanos assembles an enchanting array of dark and subversive stories, following up the best-selling first volume of DC Noir, this time selecting the very best of Washington’s historical literary legacy.

Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.

Featuring stories by: Edward P. Jones, George Pelecanos, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, James Grady, Julian Mayfield, Marita Golden, Elizabeth Hand, Julian Mazor, Ross Thomas, Ward Just, Benjamin M. Schutz, Jean Toomer, Rhozier “Roach” Brown, and Larry Neal.

From the introduction by George Pelecanos:

“The first name on my wish list was Edward P. Jones. I consider him to be the finest fiction writer to ever come out of Washington, D.C., and in the bargain he is a homegrown talent and graduate of Cardozo High School. From the collection All Aunt Hagar’s Children, we chose “A Rich Man,” which is not only a stunning piece of craftsmanship, but is full noir in its depiction of a man trapped inside a cage of his own making . . . Our earliest-set story, “A Council of State,” was written by Paul Laurence Dunbar. It is a telling and troubling tale of the reality of racial politics in the Federal City at the turn of the last century. Dunbar, the son of escaped slaves, was the first eminent African American poet, as well as a noted short story writer, playwright, essayist, and novelist . . .

Ross Thomas’s witty, urbane political thrillers, many of which were set in our town, are some of the finest Washington novels, regardless of genre, ever written. He wrote knowingly of the backroom deals made here, of dinner parties in Georgetown, and of trysts in the Mayflower and three-martini lunches at Paul Young’s Restaurant, but he could also riff accurately on any neighborhood of the four quadrants. If there was a D.C. Literary Hall of Fame, Mr. Thomas would surely be in it . . .

I’ll leave you to enjoy these outstanding stories. With pride, and once again with hope and anticipation, here is D.C. Noir 2: The Classics.”

About this title

About the Author

GEORGE PELECANOS is the author of twenty-two novels and story collections set in and around Washington, DC, and has been the recipient of numerous international writing awards. He is a screenwriter, essayist, and television writer/producer whose credits include The Wire, Treme, The Deuce, and We Own This City. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Reviews

By broadly interpreting what constitutes noir, Pelecanos has been able to include writers as diverse as Langston Hughes and Ward Just in this high-quality reprint anthology. In his introduction, Pelecanos describes his vision of a century-long overview of D.C. fiction that would focus on issues of race, ethnicity, politics, class, and the attendant struggles and changes that occurred in various eras of our history. Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African-American poet, opens the book on a powerful note with A Council of State, a story of political intrigue first published in 1900 that will still resonate with contemporary readers. The equally powerful final selection, an excerpt from Marita Golden's novel After (2006), presents the agonizing moments just before and after a black police officer fatally shoots a fellow black man, who turns out to have been holding not a gun but a cellphone. Other contributors include Ross Thomas, Jean Toomer and Richard Wright. (Sept.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd.
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1933354585
• ISBN 13: 9781933354583
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 321
• Editor: Pelecanos George