Jewish noir–is that redundant? That was one of the questions, raised and debated at the Mysterious Bookshop on Thursday evening, October 1, at the launch party of Jewish Noir an anthology of Jewish themed crime stories, edited by Kenneth Wishnia.
In typical ways that we Jews have of turning everything into a debate (a well honored Talmudic tradition), the evening provided a friendly forum to discuss:
- Was the Passover Haggada the first Jewish noir?
- What qualifies a story to be considered Jewish noir?
- Can a non-Jewish author write Jewish noir? (Ken Wishnia’s inclusion of non-Jewish authors in the anthology answered that one.)
- How many Nazi’s do you need in a story to make it noir?
- To what extent were Jews represented in the noir film industry- in front of behind the scenes?
The authors who have stories in the anthology attending the book event included: Reed Farrel Coleman, Melanie Dante, Rabbi Adam Fisher, Heywood Gould, Alan Gordon, Michele Lang, S.J. Rozan, Jonathan Santlofer, S.A. Solomon, Steven Wishnia, Melissa Yi, and Michael J. Cooper.
If you missed the launch at the Mysterious Bookshop. Check out one of the upcoming events below:
Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7 PM
Book Review, Huntington, Long Island
Sunday, Nov. 8
Am Hasefer Book Club, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun
125 East 85th Street, bet. Park & Lexington Ave.
Tuesday, November 10 at 7PM
Barnes & Noble,
Broadway at West 84th Street.
Sunday, November 15
Arrival 6:30-6:45 PM Event: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
KGB Sunday Reading Series
85 East 4th St, bet. Bowery & 2nd Ave.
