Why does crime still have such unpardonably low literary status? | Books | guardian.co.uk

Why does crime still have such unpardonably low literary status? Books guardian.co.uk

I love John Banville's fiction, he is one of the best serious fiction writers out there. But, he stumbles into a mess when he says things like this:

"Writing under his own name, Banville manages around 100 sweated-over, teased, honed and polished words a day; but as Benjamin Black, he can manage a couple of thousand."

Now I'm a major fan of literature, but I'm alos a fan of genre fiction. This is an ugly statement that betrays what I believe is a serious problem in fiction. Genre fiction IS as good as literature, but only if you write it seriously.

He said essentially the same thing when he was interviewed by The Paris Review in the following article:

http://www.parisreview.com/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5907

It's well worth finding the whole interview to see his views. At worst I think he is suffering from a bit of ego. He knew better than to say it out loud.