My Double Drabble: Work: Adam Dalgliesh [P.D. James]: Gen

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Title: Work
Fandom: Adam Dalgliesh [books, P.D. James]
Length: 200
Rating: Gen
Prompt: DW 100 Fandoms .046: Work.
Summary: Dalgliesh had long since given up trying to decide if he was a police officer who wrote poetry or a poet who solved crimes.
Author's Note: I'm at 50 fandoms for the DW 100 Fandoms challenge! Half-way! I'm going to take a break for a while now.


“I, uh, read your book.”

“Thank you. I hope you enjoyed it,” said Dalgliesh before swiftly steering the conversation back to the case at hand.

Dalgliesh had long since given up trying to decide if he was a police officer who wrote poetry or a poet who solved crimes, but he preferred to keep discussion of his verse out of the squad room.

Though light jests at the poet’s expense had, on rare occasion, served to cut tension and improve the atmosphere among colleagues, Dalgliesh didn’t encourage them.

He especially disliked his own lines being recited back to him, say, at a crime scene or after the interrogation of a suspect. Those with whom he worked closely knew that, and though he was never rude in his mode of enlightenment, those who did not, learned very quickly.

There were such simpler ways of to make a positive personal impression in the professional setting. Offering Dalgliesh a cup of decent coffee, for example, went a lot farther than any amount of awkward commentary on his latest publication.

Work was work. Poetry was not.

The twain met, but Dalgliesh didn’t want to talk about it, especially when they were hunting a murderer.

Comments

[smallhobbit]

Never read any Dalgleish books. I'm not that much of a P D James fan.

Congratulations on 50 fandoms. You made it within your goal.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

I like her. I've read all the Dalgliesh books and some of her essays on detective fiction. I've not read any of the Cordelia Grey books, however. But when you type 'poet detective' in google, his Wikipedia page is the first that pops up.

Yes! A fandom occurred to me that I should've thought about a long time ago given the number of times it greets me every day :) :)

[debriswoman]

Nicely done...interesting notion re keeping work and poetry apart.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! I have read all the Dalgliesh books and stories and like them. When you google 'poet detective,' his name comes up first! I would think he would find people trying to start conversations with him about his poetry while he's working to be rather tiresome and awkward.

[autumnia]

I have only one more Dagliesh book left to read so I'm postponing it as long as I can because then it'll all be over. :(

But I like this, it fits Adam so well and is totally on point with his character. At least he wasn't asked for an autograph or to sign a copy of his book.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Ah, I know that feeling. I am going through the same thing with The Chronicles of Calleshire series by Catherine Aird (reading very slowly so I make it last, then reading quickly because I like it, then reading slowly again because I'm going to run out soon).

Thank you! Yes, I was going for something a bit more subtle than just being a fan of his writing (although he probably had that, too, autograph seekers and overt fawning) but someone in a professional setting trying to establish rapport and choosing his poetry as a means. Understandable, but it probably got under Dalgliesh's skin and was counter to the intention of the person, i.e., it gave a bad impression instead of a good one. I have a book of P.D. James Christmas stories that I re-read in December. I like her a lot.