CRIME FICTION IN A TIME OF CRISIS: SOCIETY IN TRANSITION IN THE DETECTIVE SERIES BY MANUEL VÁSQUEZ MONTALBÁN AND LEONARDO PADURA

The analysis focuses on crime series by Manuel Vásquez Montalbán (the Pepe Carvalho series, Spain, 1974-2004) and Leonardo Padura (the Mario Conde series, Cuba, 1989-2018). Both authors chronicle historical momentum in form of detective series initiated by drastic social changes: the Spanish Transition (1975-1982) and the Special Period in Time of Peace (1991-2000) in Cuba respectively. The article attempts to track how both authors employ the notion of space, time and mobility within the genre while portraying society in transition.