In the last decade Scandinavian crime fiction has dominated the European market for translations into English of stories about crime. Justifiably so, because there are some remarkable writers working in the genre. On the other hand, during the last few years translations from other languages have come into focus. Translations from Italian, French, Spanish and German have already commanded attention for some time, and in recent years we have seen the emergence of East European work. Romanian writers, largely through the agency of new publishers, Profusion, are the latest to burst into the market.

Euro Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to European Crime Fiction, Film & TV is a bibliography and collection of essays about crime fiction writing in Europe. Compiled by Barry Forshaw, a prominent critic of crime fiction, it follows his best selling work on British crime fiction, and features the best writers in the genre throughout Europe. The section on Romania lists the Profusion writers, George Arion (Attack in the Library), Bogdan Hrib (Kill the General) and Oana Stoica-Mujea (Anatomical Clues). This chapter is no mere listing. Instead, it describes the books in some detail, and goes on to mention the non-fiction work Rimaru, Butcher of Bucharest by Mike Phillips and Stejarel Olaru. The section winds up with interviews from authors Mike Phillips and Bogdan Hrib. It is true that occasional Romanian authors, writing about the dictatorship, have been bestsellers, especially in the USA. On the other hand, this chapter in Euro Noir is about stories which represent day to day life. Popular Romanian writing has never attracted such attention in the UK market before now, and this is a breakthrough.

Euro Noir is available on Amazon – Paperback & Kindle edition

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1843442450/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_asp_TSzOH.04QN8BC