Raymond, Derek

English author, who during a Bohemian and wandering life occupied himself with a number of different jobs and activities, a by-no-means small part of them criminal. This is also reflected in his books: he is known as a pioneer in the crime-literature sub-genre called ‘British noir’, and which is usually set in environments and among people at the bottom of society. The books have been criticised for being violent and describing really repulsive events, figures and circumstances, but have also been praised for being realistic, not least as regards the use of slang.