Thanks, Mark. It's possible the passage I recall isn't from
Chandler after all. If you happen to remember where Pronzini
might have discussed that, please do let me know. Even if
it's not exactly what I'm looking for it may still be useful
to me.
If anyone else knows of any discussions of this topic--the
use of unnamed narrators in imitation of Hammett's Op
stories--or has any thoughts about it, please let me
know.
A related question: I believe Hammett said of the Op that he
"didn't deserve a name." Does anyone kow where I read
THAT?
Alan
<< This sounds very familiar to me, too, but I couldn't
find it while
flipping through Chandler Speaking. However, it
occurred to me that
Bill Pronzini said something very similar when
discussing writing his
Nameless Detective and how he finally had to give him a
first name,
Bill, when writing one of his collaborations, Twospot,
with Collin
Wilcox, in order to avoid the problem you mention.
Pronzini talks about
why his detective is Nameless in the preface to
Casefiles (even denying
that he is trying to capitalize on the Continental Op),
but I'm pretty
sure he discussed the problem that led to naming
Nameless at greater
length somewhere else (which, I think, included an
example very much
like yours -- the need for a name to address when
Wilcox's Lieutenant
Hastings talked to Nameless on the phone).
Unfortunately, I don't
remember where.
Mark >>
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