The Psychology of Anthony Berkeley

Shedunnit

Caroline Crampton

Arts, Books

4.9 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2020

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

He was one of the most influential crime novelists of the 1920s and 1930s, but has languished somewhat in obscurity since. A troubled, dark, incredibly innovative writer: to really get to know Anthony Berkeley, you need to dive deeply into his fiction. Thanks to my guest Martin Edwards. His latest novel is Mortmain Hall and he’s on Twitter as @medwardsbooks. Become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club and get bonus audio, listen to ad free episodes and join a book-loving community at shedunnitshow.com/bookclub. Books and sources: —Elusion Aforethought: The Life and Writing of Anthony Berkeley Cox by Malcolm Turnbull —As For The Woman by Francis Iles —The Layton Court Mystery by Anthony Berkeley —The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie —Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers —Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers —The Wychford Poisoning Case by Anthony Berkeley —The Florence Maybrick episodes of this podcast —The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards —The Edith Thompson episode of this podcast —Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery by Anthony Berkeley —Messalina of the Suburbs by E.M. Delafield —The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield —The Silk Stocking Murders by Anthony Berkeley —The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley —Murder in the Basement by Anthony Berkeley —The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley —The Detection Club episode of this podcast, featuring Martin Edwards —Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles —Before the Fact by Francis IlesThanks to today’s sponsor, Best Fiends. You can download Best Fiends free on the Apple App Store or Google Play. To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter. The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice. Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/anthonyberkeleytranscript. Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Download the mp3 of this episode here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	On BBC A
0:02.0	I am doing life a few more years means nothing to me
0:06.0	I'm pregnant
0:08.0	judges go easy I'm pregnant women
0:10.0	I've been old my electricity that's all
0:12.0	don't think I should even be in here.
0:14.0	A new series of the Baffa Award winning time.
0:18.0	You tell anyone and I mean anyone about me I will kill you. Starring Jody Whitaker tomorrow
0:25.4	Lawrence and Bella Ramsey. Time watch on BBC I player.
0:41.0	The Right The writers of detective stories can be as much of a mystery as the plots they create. During the 1920s and 30s, this attitude was especially prevalent.
0:45.0	Some authors, grudgingly or not, accepted the publicity duties that often go with literary success.
0:52.0	Dorothy L. Sayers, with her day job in advertising, was even quite good at generating column inches when she wanted to.
1:00.0	But others actively hid from the limelight, refusing to supply photographs for book jackets and publishing under strictly guarded pseudonyms.
1:09.0	Anthony Barclay was one such author.
1:12.0	He had an outsized influence on this period of crime
1:15.0	writing. He was the founder of the detection club, as well as an innovative novelist
1:20.1	fascinated by the who-doneits potential for psychological development and the way it could reflect
1:25.4	real life murder cases. But during his lifetime he was reluctant to court attention and since
1:31.7	his death in 1971 there's been far less
1:34.9	revival or adaptation of his work than other long-lived golden age authors, like
1:39.8	Agatha Christie, say, or Naya Marsh.
1:42.8	Let's get to know him a little better, shall we?
	...

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