Negra Y Criminal (literally Black –in the sense of Noir –and Criminal) was the name of the, nowadays regrettably closed, bookshop specialised in crime fiction, located in the Barceloneta district of the city of Barcelona. As we can read on its website http://negraycriminal.com/
El tres d´Octubre la llibrería ha tancat definitivamente les portes
4 de Decembre del 2002
3 d´Octubre del 2015
”estaba feta del material amb què es construexen els somnis”
El tres de Octubre la librería ha cerrado definitivamente sus puertas.
4 de Diciembre del 2002
3 de Octubre del 2015
“estaba hecha del material con el que se construyen los sueños”
On 3rd October this bookshop closed definitively its doors.
4th December 2002
3rd October 2015
“it was made of the material with which the dreams are built”
All this is relevant because I’m close to finish reading Sangre en los estantes (literally Blood on the Shelves) by Paco Camarasa. Paco Camarasa together with Montse Clavé, were the owners and booksellers of Negra Y Criminal. For those who do not know him, Paco Camarasa (Valencia, 1950) is possibly the person who at present knows the most about crime fiction in Spain. Since its inception he has been the curator of BCNegra, the well-known crime fiction festival held in Barcelona every year since 2005. He has also served on the jury of the most important crime fiction awards in Spain: Pepe Carvalho; Dashiell Hammett; Rodolfo Walsh; Memorial Silverio Cañada, and Premio Internacional de Novela Negra RBA, to name just a few. He has also been a regular contributor to the written press, coordinator of eight crime fiction reading clubs and has taught history of crime and detective fiction in the Ateneo of Barcelona. Blood on the Shelves is his first book about the genre he’s most passionate about.
As the author himself writes in the Prologue, this book is the vision of an specialised bookseller…. He has not intended to write a theoretical or academic essay. He has tried to talk about the gender through its authors, and from the experience of a bookseller. For that reason, he has also found it essential to mention some anecdotes and the best memories from the the bookshop. And, for that same reason, he has chosen to arrange the book in alphabetical order: the order in which the bookseller places on the shelves the books as they arrive, and customers misplace.
An essential guidebook for all Spanish-speaking crime fiction readers. Stay tuned.
A Crime is Afoot 