Violence is omnipresent in contemporary Slavic literatures: in response to revolutions, wars, dictatorships and changes of regimes in the 20th century, and as a reaction to continuing and new conflicts, as fascination, sensation and sales appeal. Violence appears as a narrative-aesthetic, traditional part of literature and as a meaningful and taboo-breaking motif. In September 2012, an international conference at Hamburg University dealt with this topic entitled “Crime – Fiction – Commercialisation”. This volume presents the results of this conference. The wide range of the analyzed literatures and genres (Eastern, Western and South Slavic literatures, prose, poetry and drama), the look beyond the borders of literature to film and music, the variety of topics, ways of representation and analytical approaches create a polyphonic picture that allows us to discuss the specific character of the presentation of violence in literature.