Powieść kryminalna jako element współczesnej kultury… niskiej?

The aim of the article is to analyse the cultural and social phenomenon of contemporary popular literature, in particular crime novels, burdened with the widespread though outdated stereotype that they represent low culture, intended for unsophisticated audiences. The analysis of the content and themes of crime novels shows that they are fully-fledged texts of culture, a multicultural palimpsest, a protocol of cultural and social events, “an anthropological testimony of our times” (Mariusz Czubaj). Crime novels are widely bought and read, adapted into movies and TV series. The authors of crime books include Nobel laureates as well as people with rich life experiences (journalists, reporters). Among the authors of crime novels, there is a large representation of academics and university professors: anthropologists, philosophers, philologists, cultural scholars, literary scholars, sociologists. Crime writing has ceased to be a shameful occupation, forcing people to write under a pseudonym. Crime novels have a large cultural and cultural-creative capital, as evidenced by, among others, literary tourism and literary crime festivals.