Bloody Foreigners
Crime Fiction in Translation

Three independent publishing companies, Serpent's Tail, Bitter Lemon Press and Arcadia Books bring you Bloody Foreigners, a tour that offers UK audiences an exhilarating way to enjoy six of the best crime writers in translation.

Featuring Leonardo Padura, Didier Daeninckx, Louis Sanders, Gianrico Carofiglio, Matti Joensuu and Dominique Manotti

`The writers represented in the "Bloody Foreigners" tour make a world-class team: a star-studded showcase for the attractions of international crime fiction now. From France to Finland, Cuba to Italy, they tell captivating and engrossing stories of mystery and mayhem, richly diverse in style and setting but united by their ability to bemuse, amuse and (above all) enthuse their readers.'
- Boyd Tonkin, literary editor of the Independent

The decision by the Crime Writers Association to limit the prestigious Gold Dagger Award* to books only written originally in English provoked much controversy. Originally worth £3000 the Gold Dagger Award has been taken on by the Duncan Lawrie Private Bank and the prize money has risen to £20,000. This award had been dominated by foreign writers over the last few years because much crime fiction in translation is fresh, relevant and politically engaged and challenges all the cliches of the genre. Now the CWA have announced a new international dagger worth £5000 for the author and £1000 for the translator, more than the original award but controversially still not in the same league as the award given to crime novels written in the English language.

* 23 November 05 - Was that a Dagger I saw before me? - Bob Cornwell on the CWA’s proposed rule change
08 December 05- Bob Cornwell on the latest developments in the CWA Gold Dagger saga


Fiction in translation is growing in popularity in the UK but there is still a lot of work to be done. We are delighted that the Arts Council has chosen to support the Bloody Foreigners tour and help to bring 6 fantastic authors and their translators to the attention of the crime reading public in this country. The tour will boost the profile of the authors taking part and celebrate the vital role played by the translators.

For more information contact: Kate Tull, Tour Manager Tel: 020 7732 0131 Mob: 0774 035 6330 Email: katetull@hotmail.com

Featuring

Havana Black, Leonardo Padura - Bitter Lemon Press
Translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush

Leonardo Padura is one of Cuba's most acclaimed writers and is a former winner of the Dashiell Hammett Prize. He is the author of the Havana Quartet, a crime series featuring Lieutenant Mario Conde, a disillusioned policeman who questions the achievements of the revolutionary utopia.

 





Murder in Memoriam, Didier Daeninckx - Serpent's Tail
Translated from the French by Liz Heron

Set against the backdrop of a demonstration in Paris in 1961, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Algerians at the hands of the police, this chilling novel created uproar when first published in France in 1984. Roger Thiraud, a young history teacher, is mysteriously killed during this demonstration. Twenty years later, Bernard, his son, is murdered in Toulouse. To find the connection between the murders, Inspector Cadin must delve into the secret history and devastating compromises of wartime politics.

Born in 1949, Didier Daeninckx lives in Paris. Recognised as France's leading left-wing mystery writer, his work is translated into all European languages.


Death in the Dordopne, Louis Sanders - Serpent's Tail - 185242673X
Translated from the French by Adriana Hunter

When a North London couple move to a picturesque hamlet in the Dordogne they are shocked to find that members of a local family keep dying in suspicious circumstances. Convinced that a murderer is at large, they fear they will be the next victims... The first in a series, Death in the Dordogne portrays a rural France very different from A Year in Provence. It is an essential book for anyone planning to go on a French holiday.

Born in France, Louis Sanders studied English at the Sorbonne and lived for several years in Britain. He now lives in the Dordogne.

 

A Walk in the Dark, Gianrico Carofiglio - Bitter Lemon Press
Translated from the Italian by Howard Curtis

Gianrico Carofiglio is an anti-Mafia prosecutor in the southern Italian city of Bari. He has been responsible for some of the most important indictments in the region involving organized crime, corruption and the traffic in human beings. A Walk in the Dark his second novel featuring defence counsel Guerrieri, follows on from the critical and commercial success of Involuntary Witness.



 

The Priest of Evil, Matti Joensuu - Arcadia Books
Translated from the Finnish by David Hackston

There have been a strange succession of deaths at Helsinki tube stations. The police are baffled: nobody has seen anything and the tapes from the CCTV show nothing. Detective Sergeant Timo Harjunpaa of the Helsinki Violent Crimes Unit is called in to solve the case. It then emerges that his adversary is a deluded but dangerous character living in an underground bunker in the middle of an uninhabited Helsinki hillside. Matti Joensuu is one of Scandinavia's leading crime writers.
He is also a working cop on the Helsinki Police Force. His ten crime novels have been translated into thirteen languages and are enormous sellers throughout Europe.


Dead Horsemeat, Dominique Manotti- Arcadia Books - Translated from the French by Amanda Hopkinson and Ros Schwartz
Dead Horsemeat kicks off with a group of school friends who campaigned together at Rennes in the heyday of 1968. Now, in 1989, the paths of these former students are due to cross in an entirely unexpected fashion as they start playing with fire, carried along by the euphoria born of power.

Dominique Manotti's Dead Horsemeat is another exhilarating novel by the best-selling author of Rough Trade, awarded the top prize for the best thriller of the year by the French Crime Writers Association. She is a teacher of nineteenth-century Economic History.

 

 


Tangled Web UK - Reviews

Leonardo Padura - Havana Red - Reviewed by Bob Cornwell
Louis Sanders - The Englishman's Wife - Reviewed by Ian Morson
Gianrico Carofiglio - Involuntary Witness - Reviewed by Cath Staincliff
Dominique Manotti - Rough Trade - Reviewed by Bob Cornwell

Bloody Foreigners Tour Dates

Monday 27 March at 7pm, Canning House, 2 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PJ
Cuban author, Leonardo Padura will be in conversation with his translator, Peter Bush. Box Office: 0207 235 2303 ext 226 email: culture@canninghouse.com

Tuesday 28 March at 6pm, The European Bookshop, 5 Warwick Street, London, W1B SLU
Didier Daeninckx and Louis Sanders reading from their novels and talking about their work
Box Office: 020 7734 5259 www.europeanbookshop.com FREE

Tuesday 28 March 3 - Spm, The Cervantes Institute, 102 Eaton Square, London, SW 1 W 9AN
Translation workshop with Cuban author, Leonardo Padura, and translator, Peter Bush.
To book your place call Eastside Educational Trust: 020 7033 2380 FREE

Wednesday 29 March at 6.30pm, The Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival
Leonardo Padura, Didier Daeninckx and Louis Sanders in conversation with translators Peter Bush and Liz Heron and crime novelist, Val McDermid.
Tickets: £6 (£4.50), Box Office: 0870 3431001 www.sundaytimes-oxfordliteraryfestival.co.uk/

Thursday 30 March at 8pm, Essex Book Festival, Chelmsford Library, Market Road, CM 1 1 LF
Leonardo Padura, Didier Daeninckx and Louis Sanders in conversation with translators Peter Bush and Liz Heron and crime critic for The Observer, Peter Guttridge.
Tickets: £3.50/£2.50, Box Office: 01206 573 948 www.esscxbookfestival.org.uk

Saturday 1 April at 11.30am, Treasure House Theatre, World Museum Liverpool, William Brown Street, Liverpool, L3 8EN
Leonardo Padura, Didier Daeninckx and Louis Sanders in conversation with translators Peter Bush and Liz Heron and novelist Kevin Sampson.
Tickets: FREE, Box Office: 0151 478 4393 www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

Monday 3 April at 3.30 - Spm L'institut Franeais, 17 Queensbury Place, London, SW7 2DT
Translation workshop with French author, Dominique Manotti and translator Amanda Hopkinson.
To book your place call Eastside Educational Trust: 020 7033 2380

Monday 3 April at 6.30pm, The Bloody Foreigners launch event at Foyles
Foyles, the Gallery, 2°d Floor, 113- 119 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H OEB
Readings from Leonardo Padura, Matti Joensuu, Dominique Manotti, Gianrico Carofiglio, Didier Daeninckx and Louis Sanders
Tickets: £5 (cones £4) Box Office: 0870 420 2777 Online: www.foyles.co.uk

Tuesday 4 April at 7pm, The Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol, BS 1 4QA
Matti Joensuu, Dominique Manotti and Gianrico Carofiglio in conversation with translators Amanda Hopkinson and David Hackston and novelist Joolz Denby
Tickets: £3.50, Box office: 0117 917 2300 www.arnoltini.org.uk

Wednesday 5 April at 7pm, University of East Anglia, Drama Studio, Norwich, NR4 7TJ
Matti Joensuu, Dominique Manotti and Gianrico Carofiglio in conversation with translators Amanda Hopkinson and David Hackston and novelist Patricia Duncker.
Tickets: FREE, Box Office: 01603 592 785 www.literarytranslation.com

Thursday 6 April at 7.30pm, The Lit and Phil, 23 Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NEl 1SE
Matti Joensuu, Dominique Manotti and Gianrico Carofiglio in conversation with translators Amanda Hopkinson and David Hackston and novelist Ann Cleeves
Tickets: FREE, Places limited please book a seat: 0191 232 0192, library@litandphil.org.uk