Writer Jo Nesbø on Punk, Football and Why Most Crime Fiction Sucks
VICE: Hi Jo. You once described crime novels as the “punk rock of literature”. What did you mean by that?
Jo Nesbø: To me, punk rock is about taking away everything that is not necessary so you can see the skeleton of the song. I think that crime writing, at least the crime writing that I like, is the same thing. The story is cut to the bone.
I haven’t read any of Nesbø’s work yet. There’s so much and I need to get the order straight (they were translated to English and published out of order!).
However, the one writer who has always cut to the bone is Ken Bruen.
In an interview, Bruen said:
I like to strip everything to the bone, see if it stands up by itself. The doorstop books – 500 pages and up – Jesus wept, who has that amount of time to piss away. Ninety percent of what I read is padding and I roar, “Get the fuck on with it!”
It’ll seem strange to recommend one writer in a post about another, but there you are.
Previously at Mike Cane’s xBlog:
Scandinavian Crime TV From Ken Bruen!
Writer Ken Bruen: Get His eBooks
Ken Bruen’s Advice To Writers
Ken Bruen’s London Boulevard, The Movie
Best Ken Bruen Interview EVAR!
Mike Cane's Atomic Supermen 