>
The reissue of Bezzerides' "Theives Market" on U of C Press
was reviewed by GPP hisownself in a past issue of Your Flesh
which as most of you know I edit and publish along with my
girlfriend (write me off list for back issue availability)
.
Hard to pick a real favorite amongst Pelecanos' canon though
it'd be fair to say both Nick's Trip and The Big Blowdown are
probably his most accomplished works to date, Shoedog should
have been a movie already, and if Puffy Combs has his way
(and provided it ever happens) he will ruin King
Suckerman.
Pelecanos is a truly gifted storyteller. Just about any one
whose had the opportunity to discover him (detracors alike)
find his work possesses a an ear for authentic dialogue, an
eye for detail, a great sense of time and place, and above
all else, a huge heart full of humanity. Opinions are one
thing (and we're all entitled to them), but reducing a
clearly gifted and entertaining author's work as nothing more
than "potty water" without qualification(s) is petty
juvenalia. So you don't like him or Lehane? Fine. Simplify
and move on please...
Like that, Peter D.
>
>
>
> Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 16:44:37 -0500
> From: Lee Nowlin <
noirophile@tcainternet.com>
> Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: A.I. Bezzerides
>
> Still on the subject of Bezzerides, I forgot to
mention that Thieves' Market is
> in-print
> in paperback from the U of California Press. From
the back cover:
>
> "Bezzerides creates an exciting, suspenseful and
sometimes brutally grim picture of
> the
> truckers and wholesalers who worked in the
California produce industry during the
> 1930s and 1940s. He evokes an entire culture of
farmers, mechanics, roadside
> waitresses, prostitutes, and low-level racketeers.
Most of all, he vividly portrays
> the
> bitter struggles of first or second generation
Americans who try to escape their
> wage-earning status, only to encounter frustration,
violence, or death."
>
> The above could apply at least equally well to
Dassin's film, with a screenplay, as I
> also forgot to mention, by Bezzerides himself. Well
worth seeing if you get the
> chance!
>
> Lee
>
>
> PW = Potty Water
>
> Pelecanos's "The Big Blowdown" is a steaming pot of
unreadable PW.
> One of the most agonizing books ever written, which
is a feat, in
> and of itself, I suppose. Reading this book is like
having your
> brain drawn out through your nose. Or having all
your teeth pulled
> on the same day. Don't bother with it. It's on par
with any of the
> dreadfully dull Lehanes.
>
> Oh, hey!, has anybody seen the "Croupier" movie?
I've heard it was
> genuine noir, complete with a femme fatale,
voice-over narration, a
> nihilistic, cynical zeitgeist, filmed inside, and a
twisty-turny
> ending. It was directed by the fellow (Hodges?) who
did "Get Carter"
> and "The Terminal Man."
>
>
>
> Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 01:32:27 -0400
(EDT)
> From: David White <
dpwhite@eden.rutgers.edu>
> Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: re: Pelecanos
quote
>
> <<Pelecanos's "The Big Blowdown" is a steaming
pot of unreadable PW.
> One of the most agonizing books ever written, which
is a feat, in
> and of itself, I suppose. Reading this book is like
having your
> brain drawn out through your nose. Or having all
your teeth pulled
> on the same day. Don't bother with it. It's on par
with any of the
> dreadfully dull Lehanes.>>
>
> Wow. Well, since I've enjoyed all the lehane's, I
guess I'll run out and
> read the Big Blowdown next..... heh.
>
> - -Dave
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