It’s a mystery – Q&A Philip Kerr
Originally published in The Economist, Sep 25th 2012, by E.F.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2012/09/qa-philip-kerr
“PRAGUE FATALE” is the latest novel in the Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr, a British crime writer. This is the eighth book featuring Bernie, a sardonic Berlin detective with a fondness for cigarettes and women, since he first appeared in 1989. In the books, Mr Kerr skillfully combines noir-crime plots with authentic historical background placing Bernie in volatile times from the 1930s to the cold war.
In “Prague Fatale”, set in wartime Berlin and Prague, Bernie is dropped into his most morally ambiguous case yet. He accepts an invitation to a country-house gathering with Reinhard Heydrich, Hitler’s architect for the final solution (it would be unwise to refuse). During the weekend, one of Heydrich’s adjutants is found murdered. Bernie’s mettle is tested when he must unravel a whodunit involving some of the most savage characters in the Nazi leadership. HBO is in talks to adapt these taut, atmospheric murder mysteries into a TV series.
Mr Kerr spoke to The Economist about Bernie, getting under the skin of Nazi war criminals and his “creative demons”.
“Prague Fatale” is set in the early 1940s—why are you taking a step back in time from some of your previous novels?
I want to keep the books fresh but I have always been interested in Heydrich and his assassination. What I was really interested in was the six months leading up to it. I went to Prague and let history lead me by the hand. I found out where Heydrich’s country house is, it is a semi-ruin and closed to the public. When I saw it I knew this was the story I wanted to write.
How difficult is it to write about such monstrous historical figures and bring them to life?
The hardest thing is to write about people. First and foremost, you have to encounter their humanity. That is the only way you can make them live as characters on the page. It seems to me that we let humanity off the hook when we describe people, such as the SS, as “monsters” and “bestial”. What they did was only too typical of what human beings do. When you realise that people can do that, rather than monsters and beasts, then everything seems much more horrific.
“Prague Fatale” contains some disturbing scenes of torture. How do you research that?
I don’t think there is anything you can do other than use your imagination. I don’t know what that says about me. I do have a kind of morbid way of looking at things but that is the job. It is a sort of “creative demon” that I wouldn’t be without. As a writer you rely on whatever makes you up as a person whether those things are twisted and nasty or otherwise.
Like all your novels, “Prague Fatale” has a meticulous sense of place. Do you always visit the places you write about?
I try to go as often as possible. If I find a historical source that seems to supersede what I find out myself, then I will go with that. However, it is impossible to make yourself an expert on any place in a short period of time. Often, if you know too much, you put it in and it slows the story down, so it is best to rely on your imagination to fill the gaps.
What are the challenges of writing about the same character over such a long series?
There is always a temptation to take things for granted, to get lazy and to presume that the reader knows more than they do. For me, a good thing was to take Gunther out of his own milieu and move him around.
As a writer focusing on such turbulent times do you feel a moral obligation to your readers?
I feel an obligation to try and make comparisons because people forget the lessons of history. It is important to be reminded of the similarities of what happens historically and what happens in the present day.
Why was there a 16-year gap between the third and fourth books?
I was busy writing other books, but I would go away on a tour and someone would ask when I was going to write another Bernie Gunther novel. Time passed and I thought, maybe I should do another and write about him as an older guy. It is always best to do this when people are still asking for it.
Why did you agree to a television adaptation rather than a film franchise?
Lately, I think film has come to reveal its “feet of clay” creatively. The best stuff is now being done on television. I think the context of an hour-long drama gives breathing space that you don’t get in a film. Film has to work in such a short period of time and these books are very atmospheric.
Do you share any character traits with your fictional creation?
I have the same mordant wit and find the same things funny. Fortunately, I am not as haunted as he is but then I don’t have as many skeletons in the closet. I would hope I am not as brutally violent too but you never know how you would behave during a war.
Characters and Company 