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Robert Barnard

ロバート・バーナード

Robāto Bānādo

Pen Names: Bernard Bastable（Used as a pseudonym for four novels, including alternate-history books featuring Mozart.）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1936-11-23 （Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, England）
Died
2013-09-19 （Yorkshire, England） age 76
Nationality
British
Languages
English
Residence History
Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, England (birthplace) → Colchester (education; attended Colchester Royal Grammar School) → Armidale, New South Wales, Australia — worked at the University of New England (1961–1965) → Tromsø, Norway — lecturer at the University of Tromsø (wrote his first crime novel while there) → Yorkshire, England — later residence

Career

Occupations
crime writer, critic, lecturer, academic
Active Years
1961-2013
Affiliations
University of New England (Australia), University of Tromsø (Norway), Detection Club, Crime Writers' Association (CWA)
Memberships
Detection Club
Influenced By
Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens

Education

Colchester Royal Grammar School
Country: England
Details not specified in available sources.
Balliol College, Oxford
Country: England
Details of degree and graduation year not specified in available sources.

Awards

Induction to the Detection Club
1991
Organization: Detection Club
Result: 入会
Cartier Diamond Dagger
2003
Category: 生涯功労賞
Organization: Crime Writers' Association (CWA)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Death of an Old Goat

1974 Crime novel

An early crime novel written while Barnard was a lecturer at the University of Tromsø, employing traditional British detective techniques.

crimeclassic detective fictionhumour

A Scandal in Belgravia

1991 Crime/Mystery

A mystery set among London's high society in Belgravia; themes include social status, secrets, and murder.

high societysecretsmurder

Masters of the House

1994 Country-house mystery

A country-house mystery that combines traditional settings with contemporary social commentary.

country housesfamily dynamicsinheritance and power

Dead, Mr. Mozart

1995 Alternate-history mystery

Published under the pseudonym Bernard Bastable; an alternate-history mystery imagining Wolfgang Mozart surviving into old age and becoming involved in detective plots.

alternate historymysteries involving musiciansparodic elements

A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie

1980 Criticism / Non-fiction

A critical study appreciating and analysing Agatha Christie's work, reflecting Barnard's critical perspective.

literary criticismdetective fiction studiesAgatha Christie scholarship

Bibliography

  • Death of an Old Goat (1974)
  • A Little Local Murder (1976)
  • Death on the High Cs (1977)
  • Blood Brotherhood (1977)
  • Unruly Son (aka Death of a Mystery Writer) (1978)
  • Posthumous Papers (aka Death of a Literary Widow) (1979)
  • Death in a Cold Climate (1980)
  • Mother's Boys (aka Death of a Perfect Mother) (1981)
  • Little Victims (aka School for Murder) (1983)
  • Out of the Blackout (1984)
  • A Corpse in a Gilded Cage (1984)
  • Disposal of the Living (aka Fete Fatale) (1985)
  • Political Suicide (1986)
  • The Skeleton in the Grass (1987)
  • At Death's Door (1988)
  • A City of Strangers (1990)
  • A Scandal in Belgravia (1991)
  • Masters of the House (1994)
  • Touched by the Dead (aka A Murder in Mayfair) (1999)
  • A Cry From The Dark (2003)
  • Dying Flames (2005)
  • Last Post (2008)
  • Stranger in the Family (2010)
  • Death and the Chaste Apprentice (1989)
  • A Fatal Attachment (1992)
  • A Hovering of Vultures (1993)
  • The Bad Samaritan (1995)
  • No Place of Safety (1997)
  • The Corpse at the Haworth Tandoori (1998)
  • Unholy Dying (aka Turbulent Priest) (2000)
  • The Bones in the Attic (2001)
  • The Mistress of Alderley (2002)
  • The Graveyard Position (2004)
  • A Fall from Grace (2006)
  • The Killings on Jubilee Terrace (2009)
  • A Charitable Body (2012)
  • Death by Sheer Torture (1981)
  • Death and the Princess (1982)
  • The Missing Bronte (1983)
  • Bodies (1986)
  • Death in Purple Prose (aka The Cherry Blossom Corpse) (1987)
  • Death of a Salesperson and Other Untimely Exits (1989)
  • The Habit of Widowhood (1996)
  • Rogue's Gallery (2011)
  • To Die Like a Gentleman (as Bernard Bastable) (1993)
  • Dead, Mr. Mozart (as Bernard Bastable) (1995)
  • Mansion and its Murder (as Bernard Bastable) (1998)
  • Too Many Notes, Mr. Mozart (as Bernard Bastable) (1998)
  • Imagery and Theme in the Novels of Dickens (1974)
  • A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie (1980)
  • A Short History of English Literature (1984)
  • Emily Brontë (2000)
  • A Brontë Encyclopedia (with Louise Barnard) (2007)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Combines classical detective techniques with a critical, often ironic voiceClear, logical plotting with touches of humour
Recurring Motifs
English country houses and the interiors of high societyReferences to and pastiches of literary works (Dickens, the Brontës)Ambiguities between law and morality

Legacy

Robert Barnard was a highly regarded figure in British crime fiction, producing over 40 books and numerous short stories as well as critical studies. He was inducted into the Detection Club in 1991 and awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2003. Known for blending classical detective techniques with literary scholarship.

Academic Societies

  • Detection Club
  • Crime Writers' Association (CWA)

Quotes

  • His favourite crime writer was Agatha Christie.
    Source: Wikipedia: Robert Barnard (2013)

Trivia

  • Published four novels under the pseudonym 'Bernard Bastable'.
  • Authored over 40 books and numerous short stories during his career.
  • Awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger (lifetime achievement) in 2003.
  • His first crime novel was published in 1974 and was written while he taught at the University of Tromsø.
  • Worked as an academic at the University of New England (Australia) from 1961 to 1965.