With my blog’s ten-year anniversary coming up this summer, I possibly have the optimistic goal of reaching 2000 posts by then, so we best get cracking with this one!
For my 1900th post I decided to write a piece inspired by a book I read during the Christmas holidays called Blurb Your Enthusiasm: An A-Z of Literary Persuasion (2022) by Louise Wilder. Wilder has penned thousands of blurbs for Penguin Books and her work explores the power of blurbs, as well as their place in literary history and what they have to say about the art of writing. She covers all kinds of books and genres, including what makes a good blurb for a whodunnit, although this section does cover crime/thriller novels more generally.
Lousie begins by summing up several features, which, for her, make an effective crime story blurb:
‘There is a body. There has to be a body. There are short sentences. Very. Short. The story loop is as tight as a noose. There is a dark, dark cover. A huge title. IN CAPITALS. And above all, there is promise. Something makes this murder different from all the others. And solving it is going to test our protagonist to the limit … (ellipses are also good).’
So, at this stage, if we were to make a criteria list from this we could have:
- The blurb must mention a death or victim.
- The blurb must be made up of short sentences.
- The cover must be dark, and the title should be predominant on the page.
- The blurb must suggest that this story has something different or new to offer.
- The blurb must indicate that this mystery presents some kind of challenge for the lead character.
- Oh, and don’t forget to squeeze some ellipses in, if possible.
The point made in number 4 on this list is expanded upon in a later passage by Wilder:
‘[…] you’ve gotta get a gimmick if you’re gonna get ahead – there needs to be a new twist, a new hook, every time, whether the novel is a traditional police procedural, a psychological thriller or a ‘whydunnit’. The copy should signal each novel’s point of difference as efficiently as possible – what makes this book stand out in an overcrowded field?’
Moreover, the “gimmick trait” is something she perceives in the work of Agatha Christie: ‘It’s no accident Agatha Christie is the Queen of Crime. Not only do her novels feature fiendishly ingenuous plots and reoccurring investigators, but gimmicks too […]’. I would suggest though that it is the way Christie deployed her narrative hooks, which is more important, as there were many writers contemporary to Christie who used gimmicks, but who are not very well known today. For example, Geoffrey Kerr wrote Under the Influence (1953) which features a protagonist who can read people’s minds when he is drunk. One day he hears someone’s thoughts concerning a murder they are planning to commit. Interesting gimmick, but how many people have read this book?
Wilder also goes on to speak for crime readers, outlining some other views she has on genre:
‘Crime is the genre that satisfies our need for both novelty and reassurance like no other […] We want our detective to be godlike, a saviour with magical problem-solving powers who sees that one thing nobody else can, yet at the same time as horribly flawed as we are – in fact more so, like some tragic hero of ancient myth. We make the journey with them, and read crime to savour character as much as plot. That is why identification is key in crime blurbs: either with the world-weary/jaded/maverick detective, or with the victim.’
I don’t fully disagree with this, but I don’t fully agree with it either, as my favourite sleuths don’t really meet the criteria of being saviours who are also tragic heroes. I wonder if these images are more relevant to certain branches of modern crime fiction and noir mysteries, rather than traditional classic crime fiction. However, putting these concepts to one side, I think some further criteria for a good crime fiction blurb can be derived:
- The blurb must offer novelty as well as reassurance. Regarding this latter point, I think the idea is that the reader needs a comforting sense of knowing what they’re going to get.
- The blurb must encourage identification either with the detective figure or the victim.
What are your thoughts on these criteria? Which do you agree with? Do they miss anything?
I was intrigued by these ideas, and I was curious as to how well blurbs of the past fitted them. To explore this further I decided to choose a title (a vintage mystery one, naturally) and compare the blurbs it has been given over the decades with different printings. It is not surprising that I chose one written by Agatha Christie, as so many editions of her novels exist. My choice of title was inspired by a photo I took for a recent #MurderEveryMonday theme, which aimed at showing one title across several editions. That book, for me, happened to be Crooked House (1949).
Arguably, this might not have been the best novel to pick, as it is a non-series one, but I still think the results turned out interesting. My comparison considers in detail seven blurbs from British and American publishers, which I either own, or have found online. At the end I also make some comments on blurbs from non-English languages, however I did not think a full comparison was fair, as I had to rely on Google Translate and therefore, I do not know how accurate the final translations are.
Edition No. 1: Green Penguin (1953)
Blurb Word Count: 175 + 38 (Total – 213)
Blurb
Three generations of Leonides lived together under the sheltering roof of Three Gables – a large household over which the very old and very rich Aristide Leonides had long presided. And even now in death that little old man with the dark velvet skull cap and the head sunken in his shoulders seemed to live on – a very real presence in that house of tragedy. A poisoner’s hand had struck him down, but it was the old Greek himself who had supplied the blueprint for his own murder, actually suggesting the very method to be used – by the right person. The murderer must have been one of the family who, as the old jingle says, ‘all lived together in a little crooked house’. Not that there was anything about the very respectable Leonides that was crooked in the dishonest sense, but nevertheless all its members had grown up a little twisted in their outlook on life. Yet who among them was capable of this cold-blooded and calculated poisoning? Who was the right person?
‘It has the magic touch as usual. She stands alone.’ – Illustrated London News.
‘Mrs Christie is a marvel. Crooked House is her forty-ninth contribution to detection and her sleight of hand is still impeccable.’ – New Statesman and Nation.
Thoughts
Well, one thing which was immediately apparent was the absence of short sentences and after a spot of counting, this blurb ended up being the second longest. I would say the description of the story is expansive, rather than tight or clipped. This contrasts with the cover, which is minimalist, yet iconic in design. The title, whilst not exceptionally large, is in capitals and presented on a plain background, which makes it show up well. It is not a ‘dark, dark cover’, but it is striking and bold in its own way.
I do not think this is a blurb which stresses the novelty of the plot nor what makes it stand out from others. Those who have read Crooked House will probably appreciate why this book has to hide its gimmick rather than flaunt it. Lousie Wilder points to research in her book which suggests readers can still enjoy a whodunnit even if they know the ending beforehand. Whilst I do agree with that, as I like re-reading mysteries by Christie, I still feel that knowing the ending robs you of that first time reader shock and in my opinion Crooked House is a book where you don’t wany to lose that feeling.
Nevertheless, aside from the gimmick, there is the unusual murder method. Yet this is not a feature stressed in the Green Penguin blurb. Instead, when referring to the method, the thought prioritised is the fact the victim came up with idea themselves, which the murderer then chose to adopt. However, there is an eerie tension brought in by the fact this method is said to have been used ‘by the right person’, which suggests a jigsaw piece type complementariness between the killer and their method.
Looking at this blurb I think there are phrases or lines which a modern blurb writer would emphasise more strongly. For example, it is said that ‘all its members had grown up a little twisted’ which is referring to the victim’s relatives. In this format I would say the suspense is a little undefined, although it is linked to the nursery rhyme, ‘There was a crooked man’.
The majority of the characters are not really introduced in this blurb. The only one to be named is the victim, Aristide Leonides, but I would not say we are encouraged to identify with him. He is not directly said to be unpleasant or horrible, but there is still some ambiguity surrounding him. Since Leonides is the only one fully mentioned, it is unsurprising that this blurb does not meet the criterion of suggesting the case will pose a challenge to the sleuth or push them to their limit. However, this arguably might be to avoid spoiling the denouement, which is powerful in how it shows some characters reaching their limits. In addition, as I went through these blurbs, it was interesting to see how many of them do not mention Charles Hayward.
The Green Penguin blurb does not use ellipsis for tension creating purposes, but it does end on a question, a device that I think the blurbs I have looked at utilise more frequently. Overall, I would say this blurb leans more on the side of reassurance than novelty, particularly with its opening setting description and its choice of newspaper quotes at the end. These quotes suggest Christie is at her writing peak and that quality is reassured, something which crops up in a number of the blurbs to follow.
Edition No. 2: Fontana (1959)
Blurb Word Count: 75 + 64 (Total – 139)
Blurb
Three generations of the Leonides family lived in the house called Three Gables. Aristide Leonides, very old and very rich, presided over the family, all of whom were a little twisted in their outlook. Now he was dead – poisoned by one of the family a way he himself suggested.
Who did it? – Everything points to the widow, but a little too obviously…
This brilliantly contrived story keeps you guessing right to the end.
The author of over fifty books, Agatha Christie has won her place in contemporary literature as the Queen of Crime Fiction throughout the World. In 1920 she published her first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which started her on her notable career. Since then her public has grown to such proportions that the reading of her detective novels has become a national pastime.
Thoughts
I wasn’t able to find a good photograph of the back cover of this edition, but the two sections (plot description and author information) are divided into two geometric shapes. I decided to separate the word count to reflect the two sections, as in doing so it was interesting to note that the section about the author is nearly as long as the information concerning the plot. What does this suggest? Is the author’s name more important or at least equally important as the story itself? It is certainly a line of thought which gains some traction with some of the other editions I am going to look at.
It could be said that through the author info section, the goal of reassuring the reader is being met. Phrases such as ‘won her place’, ‘Queen of Crime Fiction throughout the World’ and ‘notable career’ all imply success and success in this context further suggests quality. Moreover, the final line begins to try and align ideas of British identity with the act of reading Agatha Christie. It is almost saying that to be British is to read Christie.
The front cover is quite bold in design and colour, the yellow sections being the most striking. For me, my eye goes to the girl’s face first, rather than the title, although colour-wise it is striking against the backdrop of the lighter colours.
Examining the first section of the blurb, which is devoted to the plot, the key details are very similar to the Green Penguin edition, adopting the same starting point of the house. However, a big difference is that it is just much snappier, which is reflected in the shorter work count. This makes the story feel tighter, although the sentences are average in length.
Novelty is not really a theme being communicated through the words deployed. There is not much sense of this book being different, but it does offer the readers a promise: ‘This brilliantly contrived story keeps you guessing right to the end.’ Although I will admit it is not exactly the most original. We get the use of one question and one instance of ellipsis, which does work effectively. The ellipsis leaves unspoken the idea that maybe the widow is being framed or the reader may even think this is a double bluff. After all, the obvious killer who is disregarded because they are too obvious, is a trope Christie occasionally used in her stories.
There is even less opportunity to identify with the victim. They are mentioned by name, but fewer details are shared and the ones that are included are quite neutral and generic: ‘very old and very rich’.
Edition No. 3: Pocket Book
(The first Pocket Book edition came out in 1951, the copy I looked at was a 9th printing I think. However, if anyone has a clearer idea on the publication date, do let me know so I can add the info in.)
Blurb Word Count: 38 + 64 + 16 (Total – 118)
Blurb
Crooked House
Agatha Christie
is the author of more than 80 novels and story collections. Her books have sold well over 400,000, 000 copies and have established her fame worldwide as the foremost mystery writer of our time.
The rich old man was dead. Who in his sumptuous household had poisoned him?
His young wife – now richer than ever and fancy free? His sons – now cut off without a shilling? His granddaughters – now very likely to come into an inheritance? Or his grandchildren’s manly tutor? (Now wouldn’t it be lovely – and lucrative – comfort the beautiful young widow!)
“Miss Christie is a marvel. Impeccable.”
– New Statesman & Nation
“A knock-out”
– Saturday Review
Thoughts
This back cover probably devotes the largest space to the title and author’s name. These parts are in different colours, but they share the same font size. In contrast to the other two editions I have already discussed, the first paragraph is about the author and her success, such as telling us how many books she has sold around the world. For me this blurb really leans into the idea of Christie as a phenomenon, particularly because this information is in bold, making me wonder if that is the what the publishers want you to read first. Christie is the selling point rather than the novelty of the plot, which is perhaps reinforced by the fact that her name is larger than the title on the front cover.
The section concerned with the story is divided into two paragraphs. The first is made more striking by being only two sentences long, ending on a question. The house is not mentioned in this blurb, in contrast to the two above. The pervading feeling I get from this story summary is its genericism. The murder method is not included, and the victim is simply a ‘rich old man’. This is not an easy label to identify with.
Priority goes to the second paragraph which identifies the suspects in more detail, unlike the other two blurbs. No ellipsis is deployed, but this blurb has the most questions included so far. The last line is in parenthesis, which I felt tried to introduce a gossipy conversational tone. This was quite unexpected, but I wondered if it was meant to encourage the reader to identify with this curiosity about the case. Nevertheless, rather than generating reader engagement the characters seem cardboard-like. Crooked House is such a rich and shocking story that it is a shame to see it drained of these qualities in the blurb. The word bleach comes to mind when I think of this blurb.
Edition No. 4: Pocket Book (1964)
Blurb Word Count: 97
Blurb
Dead: one rich old man
Question: who killed him?
His wife? Brenda was only 34 and still beautiful. Now she was rich, too.
His grandchildren’s tutor? Brenda’s widowhood made him a man with a future.
His sons? Philip was shrewd and calculating, and Roger was impulsive and violent – and they had both been cut off without a shilling.
His sister-in-law? Edith had certainly hated the old man enough to kill.
His grandchildren? Eustace was arrogant and Josephine was disrespectful – and Sophia inherited the bulk of the estate.
Everyone had a motive – but everyone also had an alibi!
Thoughts
The title of blurb with the most questions is quickly taken away from the last blurb, as this 1964 Pocket Book edition includes 6 of them. They are the driving force of the blurb, and I liked the Q&A format at the start. Furthermore, the whole back cover is stylistically structured around a question mark, which emphasises the puzzle factor of the story. The question focus allows the naming of the suspects in more detail, in comparison to the other three. Although again the victim has become the anonymous ‘rich old man’. I am not sure if reader identification is encouraged through this blurb, but it is perhaps reassuring in how it shows the reader they are getting character types that they are familiar with.
However, I would say this cover displays the greatest use of short staccato sentences, which prevents the character descriptions from dragging. Novelty, in keeping with the other three blurbs, is not very visible, again because I feel there is a fear of spoiling the book. The sleuth is not mentioned, but the idea of a challenge is present in the closing line: ‘Everyone had a motive – but everyone also had an alibi!’
The importance of Christie’s name is demonstrated on the front cover where it is given the most prominent position, the biggest font and the most striking colour. The illustration for this one is a little baffling, as whilst I assume the little girl is Josephine, one of the victim’s grandchildren, I am not sure who the other figures are nor what they are doing. I think this image is a bit of a misfire, as it really doesn’t encourage me to pick up the book. The most eye-catching element of the cover is the orange background.
Edition No. 5: Pan Books (1985)
Blurb Word Count: 9 + 117 (Total – 126)
Blurb
‘The acknowledged queen of detective fiction the world over’
THE OBSERVER
The Leonides were just one big happy family, living contentedly in a large gabled house in a select suburb of London. It was not until the death of Aristide Leonides that they discovered that one member of the family was a murderer.
Instead of his regular injection of insulin Aristide had been given eserine, and whoever had substituted this deadly poison had not even bothered to get rid of the incriminating evidence. Either the culprit was very stupid – or possibly very clever.
Charles Hayward, son of the assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard, was just about to marry Sophia Leonides so he had a vested interest in solving, as quickly as possible, the sinister mystery of the…CROOKED HOUSE.
Thoughts
Both the front and back covers depict Christie’s name in the biggest font, (thereby once again providing reassurance of quality and signalling the book’s perceived biggest selling point) and the front cover image is even upstaged a little by this. However, I do find the image an interesting one, as it takes the title literally, using the house features to suggest distress and twistedness. Although the artificial quality of the piece reduces any dark tones this could have put forward. The quote included on the back cover is similar to other ones looked at already, as it is used to reassure the reader that the book has been written by a talented leader in the field of crime writing, not just in her own country, but worldwide.
Despite being the most recent blurb looked at so far, this one bucks the trend of the sentences becoming fewer or shorter. There are also no examples of ellipsis nor questions, the latter being the more unusual deviation. In keeping with the Green Penguin edition, the Pan Books blurb’s starting point is the Leonides family and the gabled house that they live in. The Green Penguin structure is mimicked further by the blurb moving on to Aristides, although interestingly his role in the family, his age and wealth, are not mentioned, which is another departure from the previous blurbs. Instead, the first paragraph ends with murder stealing the contented nature of the Leonides family. This confused me slightly, as I did not remember the family ‘living contentedly’, as the blurb puts it. Nevertheless, this section does remind us of the personal impact of realising that someone close to you is a killer. Although I think a more modern blurb would stress this angle further or more starkly.
The Pan Books blurb is the first one to really go into detail regarding the murder method. The Green Penguin blurb tries to add a commentary on the murder method suggesting it fits one specific suspect. However, I feel the Pan Books blurb does a better job with its commentary, as it more strongly links it to the murderer’s psychological state: ‘whoever had substituted this deadly poison had not even bothered to get rid of the incriminating evidence. Either the culprit was very stupid – or possibly very clever.’ I liked this as I felt the latter phrase in particular suggests a challenge for the sleuth.
This blurb also covers new ground as it is the first one that I have examined which mentions Charles Hayward. It provides his credentials for being a suitable amateur sleuth and it also depicts his personal motivation for getting involved in the first place. This suggests to the reader that something personal is at stake, and that it is more than just solving a puzzle. In addition, I felt this made Hayward a more sympathetic character for the reader, going into the book, and looking at the blurbs overall, I would say this is an underplayed element.
So far, I would say this blurb has the biggest “novelty” factor.
Edition No. 6: Collins Crime Club (1949)
Blurb Word Count: 95 + 172 + 26 (Total – 293)
Blurb
This is Agatha Christie’s 49th detective story. It is 29 years since her first was published, yet, custom cannot stale her infinite variety, and we have little hesitation in asserting that if this new story is not the best she has ever done, then it is second only to that classic of detection, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It is certainly a remarkable witness to her unfailing verve, that when she is nearing her half-century she should still be able to knock one over the top of the pavilion to the fervent applause of admirers.
The old jingle ‘all lived together in a little crooked house’ here applies to the three generations of Leonides who lived together under the sheltering roof of Three Gables – a large household over whom the very old and very rich Aristide Leonides had long presided; not that there was anything about the very respectable Leonides that was crooked in the dishonest sense, but nevertheless all its members has grown up a little bit twisted in their outlook on life. But even now in death, that little old man with the dark velvet skull-cap and the head sunken in his shoulders, seemed to live on – a very real presence in that house of tragedy. A poisoner’s hand had struck him down, but it was the old Greek himself who had supplied the blueprint for his own murder, actually suggesting the very method to be used – by the right person. The murderer must have been one of the family, but who was capable of this cold-blooded and calculating poisoning? Who was the right person?
Agatha Christie shows herself to be still the master of her medium, the incomparable queen of mystery, and Crooked House adds another jewel to her crown.
Thoughts
For my penultimate blurb I am going back in time to the year it was first published as a novel (mainly because it was only part way through making my notes that I realised I had access to this blurb via The Hooded Gunman (2019) by John Curran.)
I think the front cover for this one has the boldest font, colour and size for the title, making it slightly more dominant than the author’s name. I would also say this is the cover which best meets Louise Wilder’s ‘dark, dark cover’ criterion. It evokes a sense of danger through the house’s surroundings and also an unnerving fairy tale quality.
This is by far the biggest blurb, which might seem less ideal these days, but I think the blurb does take some different approaches to promoting this book. Assured quality is a key theme of the first paragraph, which also aloofly emphasises novelty without going into details as to what that novelty is. Instead, we are told how long Agatha Christie has been writing (the subtext being that more experience is good). Moreover, this passage wards off the idea that because Christie has been writing so long, she is past her best, remarking that: ‘custom cannot stale her infinite variety’ which is a line from William Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra and the line refers to the queen herself. Once again, subtext is at work here as the implication is that Christie is crime writing royalty and is an author who can be comfortably mentioned in the same sentence as the work of one of the greatest English playwrights. Who you are associated with, as an author, is important. In addition, Crooked House is talked about in conjunction with one of Christie’s best known and regarded mysteries, The Mystery of Roger Ackroyd. This is another example of quality being implied (with a trowel). The ending to the first paragraph is also intriguing, as it is precursor to the 1963 Fontana edition, which also links Christie and her work with a sense of British identity:
‘It is certainly a remarkable witness to her unfailing verve, that when she is nearing her half-century she should still be able to knock one over the top of the pavilion to the fervent applause of admirers.’
Yes, we’re being told not to be put off because Christie is an older writer (not sure why that should put people off, but it is something this paragraph is keen to nip in the bud), but there is also a cricket themed semantic field being employed. And with cricket comes the associated ideals of “respectability”, “playing the game”, “Britishness” and “reliability”. I found it interesting that the copywriter here found four different ways to convey ‘quality’ within the one paragraph and the ending of the blurb also provides a final further example, which mines the royalty theme more.
When I came to this blurb, I quickly noticed that the later Green Penguin edition lifts quite a lot of words and sentences from this earlier copy. Yet it was interesting when comparing them side by side that the order in which they tell things is different. The Green Penguin edition started with the house, but the Collins Crime Club blurb begins with the nursery rhyme the title comes from. The house only gets a brief mention, before the blurb moves on to the victim. Both blurbs conclude with the question of who the right person is to fit this murder blueprint, and it is interesting that they each suggest the killer is concealing their cold-blooded nature. I am not so sure they do…
Edition No. 7: Folio Society (2021)
Blurb Word Count: 128
Blurb
A mysterious poisoning. A house full of eccentric characters. And one amateur sleuth racing to fit all of the crooked pieces together. Crooked House is the epitome of an Agatha Christie novel – in fact, Christie herself described it as one of her own ‘special favourites’. Acknowledged the world over as the undisputed queen of crime, Christie composed the plot of Crooked House with all her usual brilliance, teasing the reader with multiple red herrings and canny psychological insights before leading them to a resolution that still has the power to shock, even today. This edition features seven evocative colour illustrations by artist Sally Dunne that perfectly capture the 1940s period and country-house setting, as well as a binding design that, like Christie’s writing, is both beautiful and sinister.
Thoughts
Although this is the most recent edition being looked at in this post, the front cover is deliberately vintage in style, and I think it is fair to say that the aim of this imprint is for their covers to be regarded as works of art in their own right. The design evokes the botanical images you might find in an older nature study book. The Folio Society cover is also the only one in this selection which visually depicts the murder method, so whilst it is not part of the written blurb, it is still a way this cover works to promote the unusual factors of the mystery contained within. The Folio Society cover is not the only one to portray a needle, as the American Pocket Book edition from 1951 also does, but it is still not that common. I like the Folio Society cover as the needle which arguably represents the danger in the book, is secreted between innocent looking plants, although observant readers will know the poisons that can come from them. They are death hidden in plain sight and I think this is reflective of the plot of Crooked House. In contrast to the other covers examined here, the book title is relegated to the spine, in small font. This differs with the author’s name which is the sole text on the front cover, in large font, and it is also the biggest on the spine. This again reinforces the idea of Christie as a brand and as the major selling point.
The written blurb starts with short sharp sentences, like a needle jabbing into you. Unlike the other blurbs looked at, this one begins with the murder method, and it suggests that there is something out of the ordinary connected with it. We are left to wonder what this is. The majority of the characters come under the banner of the second sentence, in which they are all dubbed ‘eccentric’ in blanket fashion. The amateur sleuth is left unnamed, yet a sense of urgency is given to their actions, suggesting they are ‘racing’ to solve the case, using the motif of completing a jigsaw. And this is all the plot details that you will get from this blurb, given in broad brushstrokes. I must admit I was surprised by this. But then I considered that the audience for this edition might be different. Is this an edition for readers who have already read the plot and just want an aesthetically pleasing copy to showcase in their home? Or are the publishers trying to appeal to literary readers or those who like to collect books simply because they are beautiful?
I came away from this blurb with a strong sense that it was trying to emphasise how worthy this book is. It almost felt like Crooked House was being given a pedigree. Firstly, the bold claim is made that this mystery is the ‘epitome of an Agatha Christie novel’. These sorts of claims are not ones that appeal to me, as they are not really rooted in anything or backed up. Just thrown in because they sound good. Next, we are told that this book was one of Christie’s favourites, the implication being that it must be good if the author loved it themselves. After that what follows is a checklist of qualities this story possesses: ‘red herrings’ (a.k.a. it has a puzzle), ‘canny psychological insights’ (a.k.a. it has good characters), ‘power to shock’ (a.k.a. the story has a wow factor ending with an emotional kick) and ‘even today’ (a.k.a. it’s still relevant).
Twenty-seven percent of the blurb is dedicated to the artwork of the edition, which given that is a key selling point, is understandable. This section of the blurb tries to suggest a relationship between the artwork and the words, perhaps trying to put the forward the idea that it makes for an immersive reading experience. In terms of the text, there is no use of ellipsis, nor questions and the sentences get longer as the paragraph unfolds. Reflecting on the blurb and the cover, I feel like the reader is being invited to connect with the book as a physical object/work of art, rather than with the story and its characters.
—
As I mentioned earlier in my post, I am going to conclude with some brief thoughts on some blurbs in translation for Crooked House, but I won’t be going into as much detail, due to concerns over the accuracy of Google Translate.
Nevertheless, first up is…
Christie in Translation No. 1: Polish (2001)
Title: Dom zbrodni
Publisher: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie
Blurb
– W niektórych książkach ginie jedna osoba po drugiej – poinformowała mnie z lubością Josephine. – W końcu znajduje się mordercę, bo jest jedyną osobą, która zostaje przy życiu.
– Josephine, obudź się! To nie powieść kryminalna. Tu są Trzy Szczyty w Swinly Dean, a ty jesteś dziewczynką, która czytała za dużo kryminałów.
Blurb Translated
– In some books, one person dies after another, Josephine told me fondly. – The murderer is finally found because he is the only one left alive.
-Josephine, wake up! This is not a crime novel. It’s the Three Gables of Swinly Dean, and you’re a girl who’s read too many crime novels.
Thoughts
I liked the creative approach taken in this blurb, making it a kind of conversation between two of the characters, Josephine Leonides and Charles Hayward. Focusing on Josephine, rather than the victim or one of the prime suspects such as Aristides widow, is an unusual choice. However, on balance, I am not sure this blurb totally works as it suggests a rather different sort of book. You could imagine it adorning a book for children, as Charles’ tone is like a parent criticising an unruly or independent child. This is reinforced by the choice of art for the front cover. There is also a sense of peril surrounding the child. I would not say this gives readers a good flavour of what the book is about.
Christie in Translation No. 2 Romanian (2013)
Title: Casa strâmbă
Publisher: editura RAO
Blurb
Pentru un observator intamplator, familia Leonides parea cat se poate de fericita si unita. Cu toate acestea, odata cu asasinarea patriarhului familiei, Aristide Leonides, legaturile dintre membrii supravietuitori se dovedesc a fi la fel de subrede ca uriasul conac in care locuiesc.
In urma crimei, atmosfera claustrofobica a casei sporeste suspiciunile fiecarei rude in parte, pana cand aparenta de familie iubitoare e spulberata de tristete, suferinta si o amenintare insidioasa…
Blurb Translated
To a casual observer, the Leonides family seemed as happy and united as possible. However, with the assassination of the family patriarch, Aristide Leonides, the connections between the surviving members prove to be as tenuous as the huge mansion in which they live.
Following the crime, the claustrophobic atmosphere of the house increases the suspicions of each relative, until the appearance of a loving family is shattered by sadness, suffering and an insidious threat…
Thoughts
For me the key theme is the idea of ugly feelings lurking beneath the placid and pleasant surface of a typical family, which are suddenly exposed due to a murder. This is a theme which is picked up in some of the English language blurbs such as the 1985 Pan Books version. Nevertheless, it does feel a bit generic, a feeling which continues into the second paragraph and the idea of the characters being a little twisted is lost. This seems like a blurb which could fit a lot of mystery stories.
Christie in Translation No. 3: Turkish (2014)
Title: Çarpık Evdeki Cesetler
Publisher: Altın Kitaplar
Blurb
Leonides ailesi, büyükbabaları Aristide bir ensülin iğnesiyle cinayete kurban gidinceye dek, Üç Kuleli Malikâne’de mutlu bir yaşam sürmektedir. Bütün ipuçları cinayeti aileden birinin işlediğini gösterir. Bu yüzden cinayeti çözme görevini Sophia’nın nişanlısı Charles Hayward üstlenir. Çarpık bir adam vardı, çarpık bir yolda yürürdü. Çarpık bir çitin yanında, çarpık bir altı peni buldu. Çarpık bir kedisi vardı, çarpık fareler tutardı.Ve hepsi küçük, çarpık bir evde otururlardı…
“Çarpık Evdeki Cesetler adlı yapıtımı büyük bir zevkle kaleme aldım. En iyi romanlarımdan biri olduğuna inanıyorum.”
-Agatha Christie-
“Usta bir kalemin yarattığı mükemmel bir roman.”
-New Statesman-
Blurb Translated
The Leonides family lives a happy life in the Three Towers Manor until their grandfather Aristide is murdered with an insulin injection. All clues indicate that someone from the family committed the murder. That’s why Sophia’s fiancé, Charles Hayward, takes on the task of solving the murder. There was a crooked man who walked on a crooked path. He found a crooked sixpence next to a crooked fence. He had a crooked cat, he kept crooked mice. And they all lived in a small, crooked house…
“I wrote my work titled Corpses in the Crooked House with great pleasure. I believe it is one of my best novels.”
-Agatha Christie-
“An excellent novel created by a master writer.”
-New Statesman-
Thoughts
This blurb is similar in some respect to the Romanian one, beginning with the idea of the Leonides family being a happy one until murder occurs. However, I feel like the Romanian one casts more doubt on this surface level serenity. The murder method is mentioned in the Turkish blurb, although I wonder if it is a little misleading, as it does not add the fact that the injection was tampered with. This blurb is one of the few in this post which includes Charles Hayward’s connection to the Leonides family. Finally, one aspect which makes this blurb stand out from the others is that provides the most extensive quoting from the ‘There was a Crooked Man’ nursery rhyme, devoting 45% of its blurb to this endeavour. I am curious how Turkish readers would have engaged with this. Is that nursery rhyme known quite widely? I also wondered how well the quote meshes with the rest of the blurb, given that it begins with the Leonides family living ‘a happy life’. If it was that happy, why is the household suggested to be crooked? Or is there even the chance that the reader, based purely on the blurb, might erroneously assume that Hayward is the crooked man of the poem? Although on reflection, it is perhaps here that the quote from Agatha Christie becomes useful, as it redirects the crooked theme back towards the household.
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Well done for making it to the end of my post. I hope it was interesting. I know I found the experience useful, as it has made me more mindful of how blurbs work and what they are trying to tell us. I would certainly recommend Lousie Wilder’s book. I will leave you with a final question:
Which of these blurbs encourages you to pick up Crooked House to read the most?