I'm not sure if I understood the「芸術などと無縁である方がむしろ上質品だ」part. Can you give me a literal translation? 方 is read as ほう right? If that's case, then what「芸術などと無縁である」is being compared to?
"It is a thing of higher quality when it has no relation with high art etc." So basically he is saying mystery novels are not forms of high art and are better off not pretending or trying to be. In other words, the comparison is "it is better if they have no relation to art [than when they do]".
I'm not sure if I understood the「芸術などと無縁である方がむしろ上質品だ」part. Can you give me a literal translation? 方 is read as ほう right? If that's case, then what「芸術などと無縁である」is being compared to?
"It is a thing of higher quality when it has no relation with high art etc." So basically he is saying mystery novels are not forms of high art and are better off not pretending or trying to be. In other words, the comparison is "it is better if they have no relation to art [than when they do]".
余念もない
concentrated on one thing, absorbed, earnestly