 First US edition | |
| Author | Gerald Kersh |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Michael Joseph UK Simon and Schuster US |
Publication date | 1938 |
| Pages | 274 |
| ISBN | 978-0-9551851-3-7 |
| Preceded by | Men Are So Ardent |
| Followed by | They Die with Their Boots Clean |
Night and the City is the third novel by British author Gerald Kersh, published in 1938. [1] It is a crime thriller set in 1930s London but also deals with social realism themes in the aftermath of the Great Depression. [2]
The protagonist of the novel is Harry Fabian, a morally reprehensible pimp determined to become the top wrestling promoter in London. During the course of the novel Fabian is embroiled in various unscrupulous money-making ventures. All those around him are treated as a means to an end without exception. However, while his acts of pimping, blackmail, promoting professional wrestling, and deception are successful, the proceeds of crime soon slip from his hands.
Eventually his world starts to come down around him. On one side the police are closing in; on the other those he has swindled come calling. Desperate and at rock bottom Harry will try anything to ensure he comes out on top.
The novel was originally published by Michael Joseph in 1938 and was the author's first successful novel. [3] It was later republished, as a tie-in for the 1992 film version, by Brainiac Books in 1993. [4]
In 2007 London Books republished it as part of their London Classics imprint. The reissue features an introduction by John King, author of The Football Factory . [5]
The novel was first filmed in 1950 by Jules Dassin, who had directed The Naked City two years earlier. The film was made in Britain, and the setting remains the London wrestling world, but the film departs greatly from the source novel. [6] Later director Dassin told in an interview he hadn't read the novel. The movie starred Richard Widmark as Harry Fabian and is often thought a significant London film noir . [7]
The film was remade in 1992 with Robert De Niro playing the lead role. It was directed and produced by Irwin Winkler, known for Guilty by Suspicion , which also starred De Niro. The setting of the film was changed to the New York boxing world, and Harry Fabian is a lawyer. The film draws predominantly from the Dassin film rather than the source novel. [8]
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, often a murder. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as historical fiction or science fiction, but the boundaries are indistinct. Crime fiction has several subgenres, including detective fiction, courtroom drama, hard-boiled fiction, and legal thrillers. Most crime drama focuses on crime investigation and does not feature the courtroom. Suspense and mystery are key elements that are nearly ubiquitous to the genre.
Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE, born Winston Grime, was an English novelist best known for the Poldark series of historical novels set in Cornwall, though he also wrote numerous other works, including contemporary thrillers, period novels, short stories, non-fiction and plays. Winston Graham was the author's pseudonym until he changed his name by deed poll from Grime to Graham on 7 May 1947.
John Dann MacDonald was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers.
Gavin Tudor Lyall was an English author of espionage thrillers.
Harry Stephen Keeler was a prolific but little-known American fiction writer, who developed a cult following for his eccentric mysteries. He also wrote science fiction.
Gerald Kersh was a British and later also American writer of novels and short stories.
Night and the City is a 1950 British film noir directed by Jules Dassin and starring Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney and Googie Withers. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Kersh. Shot on location in London and at Shepperton Studios, the plot revolves around an ambitious hustler who meets continual failures.
Rififi is a 1955 French crime film adaptation of Auguste Le Breton's novel of the same name. Directed by American blacklisted filmmaker Jules Dassin, the film stars Jean Servais as the aging gangster Tony "le Stéphanois", Carl Möhner as Jo "le Suédois", Robert Manuel as Mario Farrati, and Jules Dassin as César "le Milanais". The foursome band together to commit an almost impossible theft, the burglary of an exclusive jewelry shop in the Rue de la Paix. The centerpiece of the film is an intricate half-hour heist scene depicting the crime in detail, shot in near silence, without dialogue or music. The fictional burglary has been mimicked by criminals in actual crimes around the world.
Appointment with Death is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 2 May 1938 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) and the US edition at $2.00.
Night and the City is a 1992 American neo-noir crime drama film and a remake of the 1950 film noir of the same name, itself an adaptation of Gerald Kersh's 1938 novel. The film stars Robert De Niro and Jessica Lange and is directed by Irwin Winkler from a script by Richard Price.
Jonathan Wyatt Latimer was an American crime writer known his novels and screenplays. Before becoming an author, Latimer was a journalist in Chicago.
Don Winslow is an American author best known for his crime novels including Savages, The Force and the Cartel Trilogy.
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Martin Knight is an English author.
Philip MacDonald was a British-born writer of fiction and screenplays, best known for thrillers.
London Books is an independent publishers based in London, founded in 2007 by the authors John King and Martin Knight. It is notable for its London Classics imprint, which focuses on forgotten works of London working-class and realist fiction from the 20th century. London Books also runs a New Fiction list in the same spirit, and has released several non-fiction titles.
Robert Anthony De Niro is an American actor and film producer. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama in 2016.
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Night and the City is a 1950 British film directed by Jules Dassin.