Margery Allingham, Queen of Crime
This year sees the centenary of Margery Allingham (1904 -1966), one of the Queens of Crime. Born of a family of writers and editors, Allingham once said of some of her relatives, 'They regarded writing as the only reasonable way of passing the time, let alone earning a living'. Allingham endorsed the sentiment, publishing her first novel, an historical thriller called Blackerchief Dick, at the age of 19.
In 1928 she published her first suspense novel, The White Cottage Mystery and the following year she wrote The Crime at Black Dudley, introducing the enigmatic Mr Albert Campion, her most famous creation. Campion might almost have been created as an exaggerated lampoon of Dorothy L. Sayers'; Lord Peter Wimsey. Campion is a pseudonym for a fellow called Rudolph who was of royal blood, but this was kept secret. At first Campion was rather a silly ass, wearing spectacles that made him look foolish and he spoke in a high-pitched voice. Whereas Wimsey had Bunter, his former batman as his manservant, Campion had the wonderfully named, Magersfonteyn, an ex-con burglar.
Gradually Allingham changed Campion's character (as Sayers did with Wimsey) and eventually he abandoned the spectacles, the voice and the silly mannerisms. The post war novels - the most famous being Tiger in the Smoke - show a mature and very sensible Campion. However, thankfully he still remained an enigmatic character.
Despite the similarity with Sayers' work, the Campion novels are unmistakeable, presenting an individual view of England in all its eccentricities and its darker sides. If you haven't tried a Campion
novel, do make the effort. May I suggest the following titles as possible starters:
Look to the Lady
Police at the Funeral
Death of a Ghost
More Work for the Undertaker
Tiger in the Smoke
The Margery Allingham Society has planned a whole series of events to celebrate the centenary. May sees the publication of Margery Allingham: 100 years of a great mystery writer, a collection of essays by renowned experts and crime writers of today. Sara Paretsky will be unveiling a plaque at the former home of Margery Allingham on May 20. Two days later Ms Paretsky will be the guest speaker at the Allingham Centenary Club in Audley Square, London.
For details of these events and others, including the Allingham Weekend Conference in September, please contact Marianne van Hoeven of the Allingham Society. (e-mail: mariannevanhoeven@supanet.com) or visit the Margery Allingham Society website.
David Stuart Davies on Monday, March 1st 2004 @ 03:42 PM GMT [link]