Michael Dirda works for the Washington Post's book section,
and in 1993 won a Pulitzer for commentary. This is a
selection of last week's of the paper's chat sessions with
Dirda, whose subject that week was hardboiled lit (mildly
edited for topicality):
http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/02/dirda032802.htm
Dirda on Books Hosted by Michael Dirda Washington Post Book
World Senior Editor Thursday, March 28, 2002; 2 p.m.
EST
This Week's Topic: Hard-boiled fiction
____________________________________
Laurel, Md.: My favorite detective novels have been those
that made reference to (or in some cases, fun of) other
detective novels. Lawrence Block does that in his Rhodenbarr
books, and in one of this earlier works "Make out with
Murder."
The latter isn't a great novel, but has a great, fun premise
-- the first person narrator, Chip Harrison, has gone to work
for a man who has set himself up as a detective (without any
expereince) and who believes Nero Wolfe and Sherlock Holmes
are real people and that their stories are factual.
Can you name some other hard-boiled novels in which the
author keeps working references to others into the
story?
Michael Dirda: Interesting question. There are, you know, a
couple of Chip Harrison novels, so you should look for the
other one. There might even be more. Andrew Bergman's two
novels--one is Hollywood and LeVine--about Jake Levine are
wonderful pastiches of CHandler/Hammett and funny. In one of
Don Westlake's novels he has Dortmunder and his gang read a
Richard Stark novel about Parker, and use it as a model for
their own kidnapping. EVerything goes awry. It's called Jimmy
the Kid, I believe. The kick, of course, is that the Richard
Stark novels are by Westlake himself. And of course there are
lots of sherlock Holmes pastiches and homages.
________________________________________
Venus: It's interesting to see how the character of the hard
boiled detective has changed since its prototype Sam Spade.
How has it changed? A better way to say it may be, the
characters have changed, but the character of each one has
not changed. The qualities they all share include:
loneliness; devotion to justice but not necesarily the letter
of the law; cynicism about human nature; a sharp and dry wit;
unpredictability even in the midst of these pre-ordained
characteristics.
I love that classic scene in "The Maltese Falcon" when Sam
explains to Brigit why he is going to turn her in to the
police. He won't play the sap for her. Fast-forward to Kinsey
Milhone in "K is for Killer" - she finally knows who the
killer is, and she turns him in to a very nasty group of
mobsters, knowing they will exact revenge on him.
How have the characters themselves changed? First, there are
several excellent female hard-boiled detectives: Kinsey
Milhone, VI Warshawski, Sharon McComb (the first female
hard-boiled detective, introduced in the wonderful "Edwin of
the Iron Shoes"), etc. I love these women; they take no guff
from anyone. Another big change has been the arrival of Easy
Rawlins ("Devil in a Blue Dress" et al.), an African-American
detective who brings with him an acute awareness of racial
tension and bigotry. What I loved about "Devil" was the way
in which Easy changed his voice depending on the person with
whom he was talking. It was a brilliant literary
device.
Hard-boiled fiction is satisfying without spoon-feeding one a
happy ending. And, despite their foibles, one always feels a
sense of solidarity with, and empathy for, the lonely
hard-boiled detectives. They act out our dark impulses so we
don't have to, yet they do it in the interest of justice
which makes it ok. And they always provide a wonderful
commentary alongside. To whit: Philip Marlowe's comment in (I
think) "The Lady in the Lake" -- "She was the sort of blonde
to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass
window."
Michael Dirda: Lovely posting. Interestingly, George
Pelecanos--who writes very hardboiled novels about DC crime
and punishment--mentioned on his Sunday Morning interview
that he'd modeled his work after The Man With No Name in the
Sergio Leone movies. ANd, of course, that Eastwood character
is, in some ways, a western avatar of the hard boiled p.i.
avenger. Remember too, Paladin--a knight without armor in s
savage land?
________________________________________
T-shirt weather: Hello Michael,
I remember a while back that you mentioned how certain books,
or types of books, fit in best with certain seasons --
Sherlock Holmes when it's cold and blustery outside, etc.
I'll be off to the sunny shores of Mexico in a couple of
weeks (lucky me!), but I am frightfully pale, and tend to
wither away in the sun (not so lucky me). So, most likely
I'll spend much of the time safely tucked away under a giant
beach umbrella with a book -- but what to read?! I hate all
those sappy-happy-Meg-Ryan-romantic-comedy books which are
usually suggested as beach reads, as if the sun zaps all of
your brain cells (or maybe it does -- that would explain
California). Could you recommend something a bit more
cerebral, yet fitting for carefree days of sand between my
toes? (I'm 24 and female, if that matters, but I like most
anything).
Also, I've been looking for your book, Readings, the past few
times I've visited an Olsson's. Maybe I'm looking in the
wrong section (Literary Criticism?), but where else might it
be? I hate to resort to Amazon or some other giant Barnes
& Noble type place. Thanks so much!
Michael Dirda: First and most important of all: Ask Olsson's
to order you a copy of Readings or look and see if other
branches might have it in stock. This would make an ideal
beach book, by the way. 2) Traditionally, comic novels,
mysteries, and classics make good beach reads. If you've
followed this chat, you know some possible authors. For
comic: Pick up an anthology of P.G. Wodehouse or one of Terry
Pratchett's novels about Discworld; for mysteries: go with a
classic if you're new to these: The Maltese Falcon, The Big
Sleep. Chandler is particularly good for hot weather. The
opening of Farewell, My Lovely evokes the heat of southern
california marvelously. Gregory McDonald's Fletch would also
be fun on the beach.As for classics: What have you always
felt you should have read? Take it along and see what
happens. Have fun.
Of course, if you're 24 and in Mexico at a beach, you might
just want to sleep by day and dance/party/drink through the
night.
________________________________________
Venus: Michael -- "T-shirt weather" may also enjoy
"Persuasion"
(classic) and "Death in a Tenured Position" (detective) while
she shelters under her umbrella and sips something
tart.
Michael Dirda: Both excellent books.
________________________________________
Morgantown, W.V.: Since the topic is hard-boiled detective
fiction I would put in a bid for Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins
series even though he doesn't wear a trenchcoat (but he does
own a house). Easy lives a harder, grittier life in fiction
than most of us in the 'real world' it would seem.
Mosley was a computer programmer before he left it for the
writing biz; how often does something like this happen? I've
been under the impression that serious writers of fiction
need to establish themselves before age 30 to get anywhere.
Apart from Mosley (who has jumped to sci-fi and made at least
one jump into non-fiction), what other examples are
there?
Michael Dirda: Penelope Fitzgerald published her first novel
after the age of 60. By the time she died 20 years later,
she'd brought out, I think, nine of them and was widely
regarded as britain's finest novelist. I live on her example.
Stendhal didn't start producing fiction until middle age. In
fact, it was relatively common--in the era before
professional authorship and writers in residence--for people
to go out and do something in the world and only later, in
retirement or when worn out, turn to writing.
________________________________________
Somewhere, USA: As far as hard-boiled goes, you can't beat
Lew Archer. Ross Macdonad is tops, at least the equal of
Chandler, who I also greatly admire.
Of particular note are The Underground Man, The Blue Hammer,
and The Galton Case.
P.S. Wouldn't it be interesting to keep track of the number
of cups of coffee drank and the eggs, bacon, and sandwiches
consumed during a detective novel?
Michael Dirda: My favorite is The Chill. Though I love that
essay of Macdonald's "How I wrote The Galton Case." You know
he was one of Eudora Welty's favorite writers and that he
dedicated The Blue Hammer, I think, to her. Of course, she
did do a front page review of one of his novels for the New
York Times Book Review. Maybe that was The Blue Hammer? ANway
he did dedicate some book to Miss Welty.
________________________________________
Washington, D.C.: Hello Michael -- Who are your favorite
hard-boiled writers and why? I'm more a fan of the Dorothy
Sayers type of mystery, but I have enjoyed some hard-boiled
mysteries, particularly those by Chandler and some of Hammett
(Red Harvest was way too bloody for me, but my husband loves
it).
Another question: what is your definition of a hard-boiled
mystery?
Thanks!
Michael Dirda: An earlier posting characterized the
hard-boiled p.i. A lonely private investigator, cynical but
honorable, tough talking and wise-cracking but with a
sentimental side, who investigates more realistic crimes than
one finds in the cozier eNglish mystery. My favorites?
Besides Hammett and Chandler, I would extend the genre to
include such writers as Horace McCoy (They Shoot Horses,
Don't They), Richard STark's Parker novels; James M Cain (The
Postman Always RIngs Twice), Edward Anderson's Thieves Like
Us; Jim Thompson (The Grifters); David Goodis (Nightfall);
Paul Cain (Fast One); and some of the Black Mask writers,most
of whom can be found in anthologies. A couple of years back
the library of America borught out a two volume set that
included many of these writers. In some ways, they are all
school of Hemingway: If Ernie wrote mysteries, this is how
they would sound. Chandler excepted. His prose is too lush,
too funny, too self-aware--from the beginning he possessed an
almost post-modernist feel for the genre. He's my
favorite.
________________________________________
Washington, D.C.: Michael -- has a hard-boiled detective ever
lived happily ever after? Did Philip Marlowe get married in
"Playback?" Does the notion of happily ever after run a bit
contrary to the mystique of the hard-boiled detective?
Michael Dirda: He did get married, but it was the end of his
career, or at least of any good books. Nick Charles is
married to Nora, and a few other detectives end up with
spouses, but one really wants the hero to stay a loner. You
don't want Paladin wiring back that he has to take the kids
to pizza and can't come solve your mystery.
________________________________________
Winston-Salem, N.C.`: One other question since you mentioned
Hemingway. Would you put the Faulkner Knight's Gamibit
stories in the hard-boiled camp?
Michael Dirda: Yes. Though I've only read one.
________________________________________
Herndon, Va.: Would you call Ross Thomas hardboiled? His
"Briarpatch" is a classic.
Michael Dirda: SEmi hardboiled. I prefer Chinaman's Chance
and The Seersucker Whipsaw. Ross was an old friend of mine. I
used to call him up for reviews and he was always, always at
his desk and would answer on the second ring. His copy was
exactly the right length, perfectly written and always on
time. A consummate professional. I miss him to htis day, as
do many other friends and admirers.
________________________________________
RE: Hard Boiled: James Sallis (a reformed Sci-Fi author)
writes some of the best hard-boiled, mind bending stuff
around. Just don't go in expecting things to wrap up in a
nice bundle. "Nice" doesn't exsist in Sallis's world. Start
with "The Long-Legged Fly" and go on from there.
Michael Dirda: Yes he does. And that reminds me that I'd left
out Chester Himes--the hardest hard boiled writer of them
all, in some ways. Black detectives Grave digger Jones and
Coffin Ed something or other.
________________________________________
Woodbridge, Va.: Michael -- You have defined hard-boiled
detectives, but what term should we use for detective novels
where the setting is grim and gritty but the detective is not
-- like Constantine's Pennsylvania mysteries, or Paula Woods
Los Angeles books? And what exactly is "noir?"
Michael Dirda: Well, the writes I listed in some instances
were more properly noir than hard boiled. The noir characters
tend to be victims in a hardboiled universe. The masters here
are Cornell Woolrich (The Bride Wore Black and many other
"black" novels); Jim Thompson, and David Goodis. The
Constantine books are police procedurals mixed with
philsoophical reflections. Elmore Leonard and George V.
Higgins are gritty crime novels, but neither noir nor hard
boiled. More works in the vein of John O'Hara. This is all
growing very complicated. Maybe an essay is called for.
________________________________________
Venus: Michael -- There is another reason that Raymond
Chandler is above the other hard-boiled writers: he is the
master of the simile. "I lit a cigarette. It tasted like a
plumber's handkerchief." Earlier I posted his line about the
bishop and the stained glass window. Such elegant prose, but
simultaneously hard-bitten.
I wish I could crawl inside his books.
Michael Dirda: fYes, great similes. Oddly, his classmate, a
few years earlier, at Dulwich College in Britain was the
other great master of the simile: P.G. Wodehouse. "He drank
coffee with the air of a man who regretted it was not
hemlock."
________________________________________
very boring work day: Venus had some good points about
hard-boiled detectives, but I, at least, can only read so
much of them (more or less depending on the skills of the
writer). Too much of the tough, cynical,
women-are-virgins-or-whores, screw-the-rules type and I want
to smack him and tell him to grow up. Sometimes I think the
character becomes too romanticized.
Michael Dirda: Indeed. They are very romanticized. Which is
why they are so easy to parody. But what man doesn't want to
be Sam Spade, or his western equivalent, The Man with No
Name?
________________________________________
Border town: For hard-boiled and fun Mexico reading, try some
of John D. McDonald's mysteries set in Mexico. There's always
Vargas Llosa or if you want a Latin author with heft and fun
reading.
Michael Dirda: Oh yes. For some reason John D never worked
for me--at lreast not the Travis McGee I read.
________________________________________
San Diego, Calif.: Fiction doesn't get much more hardboiled
than John D. McDonald, whose Travis McGee series has aged
remarkable well. Highly recommended, although I will regret
endlessly that I was born too late to bare my bikinied bottom
on the Busted Flush.
Michael Dirda: How late?
________________________________________
Venus: very boring work day makes a good point about the male
detectives' attitude toward women; sometimes it is unsavory.
That is why the current crop of women hard-boiled detectives
are such a satisfying counterpoint!
Michael Dirda: Yes.
________________________________________
VB: I haven't read much in the "hard-boiled detective" genre,
but have enjoyed Andrew Vacchs, does that count? Have you
read any of his work?
Michael Dirda: VAcchs is very hard-boiled. In fact,he's
almost school of Mickey Spillane--who we've almost
overlooked. Nobody is tougher than Mike Hammer. "HOw could
you MIke? It was easy." I reviewed Flood, the first Vacchs
novel and thought it brutal and compellingly good. I coined
the term Lord of the Asphalt Jungle, which I see on some of
his paperbacks.
________________________________________
New York, N.Y.: Michael:
You mentioned Chandler's description of hot weather but
didn't refer to the best of these,that fabulous opening
paragraph to the short story Red Wind:
"There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of
those hot, dry Santa Anas that curl your hair and make your
nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every
booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge
of the carving knife and study their husbands necks. Anything
can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a
cocktail lounge."
Could anyone put the book down after reading that?
Michael Dirda: Oh, I would have quoted it, but I couldn't
take time to look it up. My favorite Chandler bit is the
three page excursus on the worlds various sorts of
blondes.
________________________________________
SciFiGirl: Michael -- I just wanted to say that I went
through a period where I couldn't get enough hard boiled
fiction, and you led me to some great authors (They Shoot
Horses, Don't They was particulary heartbreaking), but I have
to say that even though Fast One was so short, I had
difficulty getting through it. Maybe it was too gritty even
for me. One of my favorites is The Big Sleep, which I first
got to know through the Humphery Bogart film, and is, I
think, one his best performances. Great movie.
On the topic of audio books, I listened to the first four
books of the Stephen King's Gunslinger series while stripping
wallpaper in my condo, and it was a great way to do those
books. I was productive and I got in some great "reading."
Those are good tapes, too, because the reader is very good
(not Stephen King). My favorite author to hear read his own
work is John Le Carre. I listened to the Tailor of Panama on
tape on a car trip, and while it was severly abridged, Le
Carre's reading style was terrific.
I look forward to your piece on fantasy and SciFi!
Michael Dirda: Yes, I've heard le Carre do the first two
SMiley novels and he has a wonderful voice, just mesmerizing.
Isn't it remarkable how powerful the human voice is, when
it's telling a good story? I suppose it must harken back, in
some subliminal way, to listening to a mother sing lullabies
to one's infant self.
________________________________________
San Francisco, Calif.: Hi Michael,
Welcome back. How about John D. McDonald? Travis McGee is a
bimbo, but his sidekick Meyer is interesting. Is an economist
the least likely profession of a private eye's sidekick and
if not, what is?
Michael Dirda: good point.
________________________________________
Somewhere, USA: Crumley has a few good "hard boiled" titles.
I believe The Last Good Kiss is his finest, thought it pales
to The Long Goodbye.
Michael Dirda: OH wait. The Last Good Kiss is the best, the
absolute best. Long Goodbye is a trifle too long.
Heartbreaking books.
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