Elizabeth George

Elizabeth George (born in 1949) is a woman author of detective novels. She is of American nationality, but the majority of its books proceed in Great Britain.

The English call Elizabeth George the " Elizabeth" queen;. Indeed, this American became famous by publishing detective novels in the pure British tradition. Its books generally put in scene the duet formed by Lord Thomas Lynley, police inspector and eighth count d' Asherton, eminent member of the department of the Criminal cases of New Scotland Yard, and its faithful assistant Barbara Havers, of an popular environment contrasting with Lynley.

Before the literary career

Suzan Elizabeth George was born on February 26th, 1949 with Warren (Ohio, the United States). His/her parents move in the West of the United States when it has 18 months and fix themselves in California close to San Francisco in current the Silicon Valley. It follows its schooling to the school St Joseph Grammar, then with the College Holy Cross. She attends the universities of Los Altos Hills and Riverside (California) where she obtains an English control and a DEA of psychopedagogy. As of the seven years age, it expresses a taste pronounced for the writing. In 1966, it is then 16 years old, it goes on a school journey to the the United Kingdom on the traces of Shakespeare. This voyage wakes up in it a passion for Great Britain which never contradicted itself since.

It begins its professional path as professor with the college of Santa Anna but quickly changes establishment to integrate, as an English professor, the College of the town of El Toro (called today Lake Forest) in California. It remains there until the end of its career of teaching. During these years of teaching, it was characterized by its support towards students in school difficulty and by its eclecticism: of Shakespeare to the modern literature, while passing by the detective novel. Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie and P.D. James was dissected with its students, which explains its great knowledge in the field of the detective novels. Elizabeth George leaves teaching after thirteen years and half. It publishes its first novel Enquête in the fog at Bantam Books. It joined the " then; Community College" where she teaches the techniques of the writing during a few years. She feels the pressing need then to have spare time to write her novels. She teaches very episodically in various universities (Vancouver, Oxford, California…).

Literary career

In 1988, Elizabeth George her fact in police literature with has Great Deliverance which obtains two prestigious Prices crowning the best first novel in the United States. Translated into French under the title Investigation in the fog published in 1990, it obtains the Grand Prix of police Literature. Seldom a first novel had been seen rewarded per as much price, as seldom it caused the unanimous adhesion of the public like criticism.

Elizabeth George also received the price Anthony, the Agatha price. In Germany, it also accepted price MIMI for its novel cruel Cérémonies. The number of pullings of its books rises with more than seven million in the United States! The psychological density, descriptions of urban environment and the incomparable literary tension are its trademarks. In My secrecies of writer published in 2006, Elizabeth George explains to the grass writers what they must know about the way of building a novel. it delivers its easy ways of writing, its receipts to create characters.

Quotation: " One often asks me why my novels are held in England. The answer is in my philosophy: Write on what interests to you, write on what you like, write on what gives you joy. To write is a pleasant torture, it seems insane to engage there if one is directed by something only one aime."

Literary criticisms

Elizabeth George is a queen of the crime of a special kind. By its insane intrigues, it défrise Ruth Rendell, puts at P.D. James a combination out of latex and stiletto heels with Agatha Christie, involving the universe of these ladies, and their readers, on the side of Almodovar. There is worse slavery.

Michel Grisolia in the Express train of December 16th, 1999 (critical of the novel a patience of angel)

Elizabeth George dissects with wonder a complicated history where the feelings and the resentments are Masters of the play. It can tell the hatred and the indestructible fidelity of a woman for that which knew only to mislead it.

Dinah Brand in To read June 1995 (critical of a taste of ashes)

Elizabeth George, English of the American novelists, makes a success of a black novel of an astonishing richness. Subtle construction, parallel stories, distressing characters, it takes again its favorite topics: memory, impotence, painful family relations, social hypocrisy.

Christine Ferniot in To read October 2001 (critical of inaccurate Memory)

Works

Unless otherwise specified, the books of Elizabeth George are published in the editions of the Presses of the City.

The original titles appear between brackets.

Detective novels

Investigation in the fog, 1990 ( has Great Deliverance )
the Place of the crime, 1992 ( Payment in Blood )
cruel Cérémonies, 1993 ( Well-Schooled in Murder )
a soft revenge, 1993 ( has Suitable Vengeance )
For balance of any account, 1994 ( For the Sake off Elena )
Mal of child, 1994 ( Missing Joseph )
a taste of ashes, 1995 ( Playing for the Ashes )
the Face of the enemy, 1996 ( In the Presence off the Enemy )
the Murder of the cliff, 1997 ( Disappointment off his Mind )
a patience of angel, 1999 ( In Pursuit off the Proper Sinner )
inaccurate Memory, 2001 ( has Traitor to Memory )
small reconstituting, 2003 ( The Evidence Exposed )
a nest of lies, 2003 ( has Place Hiding off)
Troubles of vicinity ( Good Fences aren' T always enough : A good fence is not always enough), Pocket, bilingual edition, 2004
Without the shade of a witness, 2005 ( With No One ace Witness )
Anatomie of a crime, 2006 ( What Came Before He Shot Her )
Careless in Red , left envisaged in June 2008

Others

Queens of the crime, 2002, accounts ( Crime from the Mind off has Woman )
My secrecies of writer, 2006, test ( Write Away )

External bonds

Elizabeth George reconsiders the spot of the crime
biographical note
biographical note
biographical note
biographical note and critical arts persons

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