Brian Lindenmuth over at fantasybookspot did an amazing amount of reading and research on Black Crime writers and then put together this fascinating article. Of most interest are the book titles and authors–noir and crime fiction that stands up with any of those considered classics of the period–just not as well known as Jim Thompson, Charles Willeford and David Goodis.

The article describes these writers from the past–who they were, what they wrote and in some cases why they wrote. Brian also discusses several of the works and tries to answer the question of why these black writers and their works never acheived the acclaim of some of those considered “classics.” The forgotten tomes appear to be forgotten due to a combination of missed marketing and perhaps the mistaken belief that only other blacks would care to read it.

There are engaging excerpts from various works that all contain a gritty thread of realism; many of these writers did time in prison. Many were “writing what they knew:” life in the ghetto, work as a pimp and various other aspects of a drug-filled streetlife. In these excerpts I think you’ll find the harbingers of rap music and today’s noir.

While many of the writers are dead, there’s a bonus–an intereview with Roland Jefferson, giving perspective on his own experiences as a writer, what he wished he could have achieved and his thoughts on black writers and why their success level was what it was.

It’s a long read, but boy is it interesting.