The Black Cargo

INTRODUCTIONJohn Phillips Marquand (1893–1960) was an American writer best remembered these days for his mysteries and espionage stories, particularly the Mr. Moto series. In his day, however, he achieved popular success and critical respect for his satirical contemporary novels about American elites, winning a Pulitzer Prize for The Late George Apley in 1938. One of his abiding themes was the confining nature of life in America's upper class and among those who aspired to join it. Marquand treated those whose lives were bound by these unwritten codes with a characteristic mix of respect and mockery. Ironically, he was to join the upper classes himself, becoming related by marriage to the Rockefellers (his sister-in-law was married to John D. Rockefeller III). Before gaining acclaim for his serious novels, Marquand achieved great popular and commercial success with a series of formulaic spy novels about a Japanese undercover operative called Mr. Moto. The series was not Marquand’s idea. After the death of Earl Derr Biggers, the creator of the Charlie Chan series, the editor of The Saturday Evening Post magazine wanted a new Asian sleuth to replace Chan. He offered several authors the chance to go to China in order to “soak up atmosphere and learn about the mysterious East first-hand.” Marquand took him up on the offer. The result, of course, was the Mr. Moto series, beginning with Your Turn, Mr. Moto in 1935. (The last, Right You Are, Mr. Moto, appeared in 1957.) The series inspired eight films in the 1930s starring Peter Lorre, but the movies were very loosely based on the novels. James S. Koga states that Moto is not a proper Japanese surname (an observation also made by some characters in the Moto novels, who suspect that the name is an alias). Koga notes that Moto “is never the protagonist of the story—rather he appears at strategic points in the story, a catalyst for action.” The typical plot of a Mr. Moto novels begins with an American man of dubious reputation in Asia, overwhelmed by the foreignness. He becomes involved in international intrigue and meets Mr. Moto, who assists him in overcoming his seemingly overwhelming problems (and getting the girl in the process). Formulaic, true, but highly successful financially, the Mr. Moto books helped push Marquand to new levels of success. The Mr. Moto novels remain his most popular works, and recently author George Zebrowski has begun writting a new Mr. Moto short stories with the permission of the author’s estate. The Moto books are not the only mysteries Marquand wrote. The Black Cargo (published in 1924-1925) is one, as are Ming Yellow (1935), Don't Ask Questions (1941), and It's Loaded, Mr. Bauer (1949). All are worth reading. Marquand died in Newburyport, Massachusetts, of a heart attack at the age of 66. He is buried in Sawyer Hill Burying Ground in Newburyport. —Karl Wurf Rockville, Maryland