How to identify Tartan Noir Literature

Tartan Noir’s Origin

The Tartan Noir genre can be traced to Scotland and Scottish authors: right from James Hogg’s book, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824) and RL Stevenson’s novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). While Hogg’s novel is an eccentric blend of the gothic, crime, horror, and psychology, Stevenson wrote about a split personality with a major twist-in-the-tale and metamorphosis scene. In the 19th century, it drew a paradigm, tone, and setting for contemporary writings. Interestingly, it was drawn from the life of Deacon William Brodie who was a gifted craftsman by profession and as the world knew him for during the day, while at night, he was a thief. Further Stevenson’s concept of the split self was also derived from the Biblical text of the Romans, “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” Today a lot of books and comics from this genre are drawn on the same theme.

Contemporary Works
Today, Tartan Noir literature is a rich assimilation of Scottish, European, and hardboiled literature. A lot of these books describe the macabre with an element of redemption and murkiness. Therefore a Tartan Noir literature reader can add that most of these books have a tinge of the Raymond Chandler (American author) themes and the use of the oxymoron prevalent in Scottish literature. Other American authors who have influenced Tartan Noir writings are Dashiell Hammett (hardboiled fiction) and James Ellroy. Today Scottish author Ian Rankin is synonymous with Tartan Noir literature. He is also labeled as ‘the king of Tartan Noir’.

Tartan Noir works of literature have a Scottish setting and backdrop and throw a sharp glance at the socio-economic circumstances. Heroes emerge with villainous traits and are anti-heroes as described in Ian Rankin’s Knots and Crosses. There is a hint at an individual’s perception of right and wrong and borders on skepticism. There are underlying tones of numbness in heroes without a trace of remorse or guilt.

Some of the popular writers writing in this genre are: Ian Rankin, Lin Anderson, Christopher Brookmyre, Glenn Chandler, Alex Gray, Allan Guthrie, Val Mc Dermid, William McIlvanney, Denise Mina, Caro Ramsay, Manda Scott, and Louise Welsh. Some of the must-reads are: Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin, Taking Care of Mother by Ron Butlin, The Smell of Growth by Linda Cracknell, In a State of Nature by Denise Mina, and Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin. Further The Hulk comic is also a reference from the Tartan Noir genre. It runs along the lines of a split personality and alter-ego. To have a better understanding of this genre, it’s a good idea to perhaps read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or the Hulk.