Portrait of a Crime Author - An interview with Iain Pears
Iain Pears is the author of the long-running and hugely popular Jonathan Argyll art mystery series, the latest addition to which - The Last Judgement - is out this month in paperback. This time Argyll′s transporting the nondescript and rather ugly Death of Socrates back to Rome, but someone′s determined to get their hands on it, no matter what the cost, and Argyll doesn′t even have Flavia di Stefano′s help to fall back on.
An art historian himself, Pears is on safe ground with these witty Italian mysteries, which weave his extensive knowledge seamlessly into a satisfying crime puzzler. Aside from the Jonathan Argyll series, Pears has written the non-fiction guide The Discovery of Painting, and the stand-alone international bestseller An Instance of the Fingerpost. We asked him how he writes, what he likes and who he admires, in order to paint a clearer picture of the author at work.
How did the idea for a crime series centred around the Italian art world first come to you?
When I was a journalist in Italy, I wrote a series of stories on art theft there, and got to know people in the art theft department. When I began to write a novel, I decided to use up my old notes, together with what I knew from my days as an art historian, to produce the first story.
You are also well-established as an art historian. Was it easy to make the transition to writing fiction? And which type of writing do you find more rewarding?
It wasn′t particularly difficult, as I made the transition via being a reporter. Once you have spent a year or two on football matches and stockmarket reports you can make up anything.
Your latest HarperCollins novel is The Last Judgement, featuring Jonathan Argyll once again. Where does this fit into the Jonathan Argyll series as a whole?
It′s the fourth in the series, and the "mystery" element is becoming progressively less important. Set in France, rather than Italy this time, and dealing with contemporary politics and the hangovers from the war more obviously.
By the time we meet up with Argyll in the last in the series, The Immaculate Deception, he has married his Italian police officer wife Flavia di Stefano, who is expecting their child. Do you see the series continuing once Flavia and Argyll become parents? And if so, when can we expect another Argyll mystery?
I′m leaving it open at the moment -- if someone wants to read one, and if I have a decent idea for a story, then I will happily write one. But if no idea comes along, then it is a natural place to finish the series
How much research is involved in the writing of a series set in a particular community, such as the Italian art scene in this case?
It depends. I often take the easy way out and use situations or places that I know -- much of death and restoration, for example was set in a monastery because a year or so before I wrote it I spent a couple of weeks doing some research in a monastery and it seemed too good to waste.
What is it in particular that attracts you to crime fiction?
Probably the structure -- crime novels have to be very much more tightly and carefully constructed that most novels.
Who do you most admire, in both the art world, and in crime fiction writing?
In the art world, there are too many to list, but Hockney, Poussin and Whistler are my current favourites. Among crime novelists, then Sue Grafton, Elizabeth Peters and James Ellroy.
About Iain Pears