BCNegra 2012 gathers more than 60 thriller writers specialised in the ‘black novel’

Barcelona (ACN).- Throughout this week, 60 authors and specialists in the so-called ‘black novel’ will be the protagonists of the seventh edition of BCNegra entirely dedicated to this genre focusing on crimes and investigations. According to the curator, Paco Camarasa, “the week will be focused on the past, the present and the future”. He added that “Barcelona is the city of the literary crime and at the same time is home to both industry and collections”. The programming includes the ‘Gimlet’ magazine exhibition and Catalan collector Joan Proubasta's collection of Sherlock Holmes novels. After a full week, the Carvalho Prize will be delivered to the Greek writer Petros Màrkaris and Catalonia’s former antifraud director David Martínez Madero will be remembered in a round table on Russian mafias.

From the 2^nd to the 11^th of February, Barcelona will be at the centre of the criminal novel. The BCNegra 2012 event, organised by curator Paco Camarasa, includes 60 authors and specialists on the thriller genre, 36 publishing houses and more than 30 activities including exhibitions, round tables, conversations, reading clubs, signatures and book exchanges.

This event will look to the past with an exhibition dedicated to 'Gimlet', the magazine directed by Spanish detective novel writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, which in only fourteen issues included the best of the genre. Catalan collector Joan Proubasta’s collection of Sherlock Holmes, recently given over to the Arús Public Library in Barcelona, will also take part in this event.

One of the central acts of the week will be the awarding of the VII Carvalho Prize to the Greek writer Petros Màrkaris on February 9^th. The following day, Spanish crime novel writer Lorenzo Silva will talk to Màrkaris about Greece’s current situation.

However, BCNegra will host another emotional event. This will be the homage to David Martínez Madero, the first director of Catalonia’s independent Antifraud Office. The homage will be a round table about the Russian mafia with Spanish public prosecutor José Grinda, Catalan police force commissioner, Josep Trapero, and the journalists Cruz Morcillo, Pablo Muñoz, Mayka Navarro and Carles Quílez.

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Catalan writers will be represented by Pau Vidal and Albert Villaró, who publish their second novels in this genre, ‘Fronts oberts’ ('Open Fronts') and ‘L’escala del dolor’ ('The scale of pain') respectively. Carme Riera, makes her debut in the black novel with ‘Natura quasi morta’ ('Nature almost dead') alongside figures such as Marta Banús, Jordi de Manuel, Vicent Usó and Andreu Martín, among others.

Many internationally well-known authors will attend BCNegra, but the most remarkable names are Jake Arnott, David Peace and Anne Perry from England; Inger Wolf, Gunnar Sataalesen and Anders Roslund, from northern European countries; Maurizio de Giovanni and Marco Malvadi, from Italy; Patrick Bard, from France; and Claudia Piñero, from Argentina. Diego Ameixeiras, Juan Bas, Marcelo Luján and Carlos Salem will represent the Spanish genre.

One of the most curious activities of this edition of BCNegra will be the exhibition of the Catalan police force’s canine unit. A round table called ‘Per què no hi ha gats policies?’ ('Why there are no police cats?') will be held under the guidance of Deputy Inspector Jordi Marí García and three other guides.

The event will also give the chance to reflect on serial killings, disappearances, the breaking of apparent peace in Nordic countries through crimes in Denmark and Norway, crimes in the upper classes of the society and the importance of neuroscience for unmasking murderers.