Heian Noir

Although in truth, I.J. Parker’s books are not exactly that, but they do feature an intrepid detective in Akitada and are set in the 14th Century. She talks with the Japan Times about why she chose this time period, what’s next for her sleuth and why Japan, since she’s never been there:

**I understand you haven’t been to Japan yet. Why did you decide to

set your novels here, as opposed to China or some other country?**

I have a tendency to do the not-so-obvious or easy thing. Besides, I

believe that my European background has something to do with the fact

that I am more interested in cultures unlike my own. Ancient China had

already been covered by Dutch mystery author Robert van Gulik, and I

was involved professionally with Japanese classical literature for

World Lit classes I was teaching. The two enthusiasms met.

Why did you decide to set your novels in the Heian Period?

The later periods involve swashbuckling and social upheaval. That was

not my primary interest, though I do use physical confrontations

sometimes. I like to work with human psychology, and the Heian Period

was politically stable and allowed for some introspection. Then there

is the question of law enforcement. Later periods seem pretty much a

shambles by Western standards, and mysteries focus on creating order

out of chaos. Also, of course, there is quite a bit of good primary

material available in translation.

I’m really looking forward to her next book, THE DRAGON SCROLL, which should be out soon with her new publisher, Penguin.