I noticed in Lawrence Block's "Writing The Novel" the
following dedication:
"for John O'Hara, Evan Hunter, Fredric Brown, W. Somerset
Maugham, Rex Stout, Dashiell Hammett, James T. Farrell,
Thomas Wolfe, and so many more writers from whom I've learned
so much of what I know." By omission, a snub to Chandler?
Perhaps, but I suspect that Chandler's style is so peculiarly
his (at times almost self-parodic) that most writers avoid
his influence for fear of being seen as mere imitators.
Again, on influences. James M Cain didn't like the accusation
that his writing was hardboiled. In the preface to THE
BUTTERFLY (1946) he says: "I belong to no school, hardboiled
or otherwise, and I believe these schools exist mainly in the
imagination of critics." Having dismissed Hammett, he then
goes on at greater length to explain why his style owes
nothing to Hemingway: "Unfortunately, for this theory [a
stylistic debt to Hemingway]...my short story PASTORAL..was
written in 1927, though I first read him when MEN WITHOUT
WOMEN first appeared in 1928. Yet the style is pretty much my
style today." Cain doesn't bother to mention Chandler.
Leonard and Hunter seemed to have caused some upset with
their flippant septegenarian disregard of the literary merit
of Ray and Dash. I suspect that it's far too easy to
attribute influences. John Williams said "Leonard may not owe
much to the Maltese Falcon, but The Glass Key is another
matter..." While that's possibly true (personally I think
those two books are remarkably similar - both stunningly
consistent pieces of detached writing), it's also possible
that Leonard is not in the least influenced by Hammett. He
hasn't read Hammett since 1944. I doubt the poor man (he's
now 76) remembers what it is he's supposed to be influenced
by. It may be just my experience, but I think that for a
writer to influence you, you don't stop reading him when
you're seventeen. I'd say Leonard's comments were frank. He'd
pass Dick Lochte's lie detector with ease. If Leonard has
been influenced by Hammett, he's unaware of it.
Hunter's a different story. He slipped up on the banana skin
that is the internet. From The Book Reporter: http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/au-mcbain-ed.asp
TBR: What authors have influenced you? EH: James Joyce,
Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John O'Hara, Raymond
Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, T.H. White.
All Chandler fans, being adolescents, should be discouraged
from going to his website and leaving him the following
message: liar, liar, pants on fire.
Al
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