Dan Woodrell Talks Country Noir

Posted on August 25, 2006

Author Dan Woodrell discusses his brand of "country noir" with The Wall Street Journal's Jeffrey Trachtenberg. So what is country noir? Woodrell says it's just a noir story set in the country, instead of in the city. It's dark and the themes are darker. The author says he made up the term so he wouldn't be called a mystery writer.

The Wall Street Journal Online: What is country noir?
Daniel Woodrell: It's a noir story set in rural America rather than an urban area. It's a term that I made up largely to combat the mystery label that had gotten slapped on me. I wanted a counter label. Then I realized I'd painted myself into another corner.
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WSJ.com: Unlike other current noir writers, there are very few literary references in your books. If your characters read, we don't know it. Does your work attract much attention where you live?
Mr. Woodrell: It hasn't until now. There are people who know but it's not like I walk around and everybody knows who I am. I was born here and moved away. I didn't think I'd ever want to live here, but I came back and find myself staying. There are 11,000 in the town now. I know people who have until recently lived with dirt floors. There are people who live way back off the grid, without electricity. Not a whole lot, but quite a few. That's a choice for a lot of them. There might be a religious element in their isolation, at least with some of them.

Is it just us, or are a growing number of authors getting really picky about this whole genre thing? Country noir? Vampire writers? It's all too much for us. And, what's wrong with being called a mystery writer anyway? Some of our favorite authors are mystery writers.