James Hadley Chase, the author of detective novels, became widely popular in Russia and throughout the post-Soviet space only in the nineties. But in the rest of the literary world he was known for a long time and rightfully enjoyed authority as one of the largest luminaries in the field of the criminal genre.
Some facts from the biography of the author of detectives
The future famous writer James Headley Chase was born in December 1906 in the capital of Great Britain. As befits the son of a retired British officer, he received a classic English Victorian education at a high school in Rochester, Kent. And later he continued it in a colony in Calcutta. But it should be noted that in the school magazine he was listed as Rene Brabazon Raymond. That was the name given to him at birth.
And he will take the pseudonym James Headley Chase for himself much later, when he chooses a literary career. But the path to her was still not long. And this has its positive meaning - before embarking on a pen, a person should experience something in life.
On the way to literature
Contrary to the expectations of relatives, the future James Chase categorically refused military and public service. He started an independent life early and managed to try many different professions. Livelihoods were obtained mainly in the field of commerce. This did not bring any wealth to the young man, but greatly expanded his ideas about the world and social mores. The closest to him seemed the book trade and everything connected with it.
Over the course of several years, he was able to observe at close range everything that was happening in the literary world of London. And this determined the final life choice that James Chase came to at the age of thirty. His career in commerce had culminated at that point — the department head at a large bookstore. He decides to try his hand in competition with those people whose products he was forced to trade.
First steps
Having studied quite well the inquiries and mores of the mass public, the writer begins with works of an easy form - short humorous stories and feuilletons. But this does not bring tangible success. And really loudly, James Chase announced himself as the first major novel - “No Orchids for Miss Blendish.” This work is considered his debut. It immediately determined the level of his skill and made him relate to the thirty-two-year-old author as an already-formed writer.
This book, which in its plot is an ordinary gangster action movie, at first glance was no different from a number of similar ones. But the novel attracted readers and publishers by the ease of the syllable and wit in the presentation of criminal life. It was the first novel signed by the pseudonym James Headley Chase. The public considered him a real name.
During the war
James Chase, whose books were readily bought by the reading public and published by major publishers, was inspired by the long-awaited success and worked on new works. But his creative plans were hindered by World War II. Since September 1940, London was subjected to fierce bombing of German aircraft. This left no choice. James Chase becomes a Royal Royal Air Force pilot . He makes sorties and fights with the Nazis.
In the pacific
In the post-war era, James Chase’s novels firmly entered the literary world as a kind of classic of the criminal genre. The writer could only please this state of affairs. But therein lay a considerable danger for further creative development.
It was easy to wallow in the cliches and the endless repetition of what was already written. To avoid this, James Chase travels to Southeast Asia. The action of his new novels is set to unfold in this very vast and far from Europe region of the planet. A series of novels from the life of the Asian mafia, the best of which are "The Coffin from Hong Kong" and "Lotus for Miss Kwon", was created by the writer in the sixties. The writer himself at this time moved to a permanent residence in France.
Stylistic features
Many readers of James Chase’s novels, which mostly take place in the United States of America, don’t even realize that the writer himself rarely visited this country. And persuasiveness in depicting American realities is an exceptional merit of copyright talent and imagination. As well as the ability to collect and comprehend the information collected. The reviews of readers and literary critics about Chase’s novels agree that their success is due to the author’s ability to create a dark oppressive atmosphere in his works and to intrigue him with the inability to calculate the development of events.
Their outcome is most often unexpected for the reader. And of course, that specific black humor that matches the portrayed realities and characters. In the detective genre, the critic names American authors such as Raymond Chandler and Deschiel Hammett his closest competitors. For the stylistic designation of this genre, it is most often customary to operate with the definition of “noir”. It is not surprising that the books of James Chase were widely filmed in many countries of the world. It is interesting here that European directors turned to this material much more often than Hollywood.
Chase's books in Russia
James Headley Chase, whose books managed to gain steady success throughout the world, came to Russia very late. This was due solely to ideological circumstances. Reviews of official Soviet criticism about this kind of literature have always been sharply negative. Therefore, it simply was not published, and no one knew about it. This state of affairs changed only in the era of perestroika, when ideological barriers collapsed and the inhabitants of a vast country were allowed to read and watch what they wanted. And not what the ideological authorities allowed.
For several years, almost the entire literary heritage of James Chase has been translated into Russian. His books were published in millions of copies throughout the post-Soviet space. And one can only regret that James Chase, who left this world in February 1985, was not destined to find out. In Russia, he became known only posthumously. But while reading some of his contemporary Russian colleagues, it’s easy to notice who they learned to spin criminal intrigue from and put characters in their places.