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James Lee Burke

ジェイムズ・リー・バーク

James Lee Burke

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1936-12-05 （Houston, Texas, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
New Iberia, Louisiana, U.S. → Lolo, Montana, U.S. → Wichita, Kansas, U.S.

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist
Active Years
1965-
Influenced By
Thomas Hardy, Ernest Hemingway, Jean-Paul Sartre

Education

University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Country: United States
University of Missouri
College of Arts and Science / English Literature
Degree: BA, MA
Country: United States
Received BA and MA degrees in English literature

Awards

Edgar Award (novel)
1990
Work: Black Cherry Blues
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: winner
Edgar Award (novel)
1998
Work: Cimarron Rose
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: winner
Edgar Award (novel)
2024
Work: Flags on the Bayou
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: winner
Grand Master Award
2009
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: winner
Guggenheim Fellowship (Creative Arts - Fiction)
1988
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: recipient
Louisiana Writer Award
2002
Organization: State of Louisiana
Result: recipient
Diamond Dagger (lifetime achievement)
2024
Organization: Crime Writers' Association (UK)
Result: recipient
Pulitzer Prize (nominated)
1986
Work: The Lost Get-Back Boogie
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: nominated

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Neon Rain

1987 Mystery / Crime fiction

The first of the Dave Robicheaux series. A hard-boiled tale of crime and personal revenge set in and around New Orleans.

revengecorruptionhome and memory

Black Cherry Blues

1989 Mystery / Crime fiction

A Dave Robicheaux novel combining personal conflict with criminal investigation. Winner of an Edgar Award.

lossjusticecycle of violence

The Lost Get-Back Boogie

1986 Literary novel with crime elements

Published in 1986 and nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, this novel is a deep human drama dealing with revenge and redemption.

revengeatonementfamily history

Cimarron Rose

1997 Mystery / Thriller

A Billy Bob Holland novel about family and past conflicts. Winner of an Edgar Award.

familylaw and justiceshadows of the past

Flags on the Bayou

2023 Mystery / Crime fiction

A recent work set in the bayou where social issues and private revenge intersect. Winner of an Edgar Award.

community breakdownhuman sinmemory and forgetting

Bibliography

  • Half of Paradise (1965)
  • The Lost Get-Back Boogie (1986)
  • The Neon Rain (1987)
  • Heaven's Prisoners (1988)
  • Black Cherry Blues (1989)
  • Cimarron Rose (1997)
  • Flags on the Bayou (2023)

Adaptations

  • Heaven's Prisoners (film, 1996)
  • In the Electric Mist (film, 2009)
  • Two for Texas (TV movie, 1998)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical, poetic descriptiondistinctive Southern landscape portrayalhard-boiled narrative voice
Recurring Motifs
the bayouthe aftermath of violence and waratonement and redemption

Legacy

James Lee Burke is a celebrated crime writer known for lyrical depictions of the Southern landscape and violence, best known for the Dave Robicheaux series. He has received multiple honors including Edgar Awards, the MWA Grand Master Award, and the Diamond Dagger.

Museums

  • James Lee Burke Statue Downtown New Iberia, Louisiana, U.S. Opened in 2024

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of America

In Popular Culture

  • Screen portrayals of Dave Robicheaux (Alec Baldwin, Tommy Lee Jones)
  • Statue unveiled in New Iberia (2024)

Quotes

  • “Mr. Burke's literary forebear is Thomas Hardy.”
    Source: Wirt Williams, The New York Times (1965) (1965)

Trivia

  • Daughter Alafair Burke is a law professor and bestselling crime writer.
  • A statue honoring Burke was erected in New Iberia in 2024.
  • The Lost Get-Back Boogie (1986) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.