In a message dated 9/18/03 4:04:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
owner-rara-avis@icomm.ca writes:
<< From: Michael Robison <
miker_zspider@yahoo.com>
Subject: RARA-AVIS: Benedict's DOGS OF GOD
I mentioned Pinkney Benedict a long while ago and
didn't get a rise out of anyone. I'm rereading it
now. Here's a few lines:
"You ever hunt a wild hog?"
...
"We used spears. Pikes with long points and
crosspieces welded to them just behind the blade.
They were sharp and extremely clumsy. You must
have
the crosspiece on your shaft, because without it
an
impaled boar will simply climb the shaft of the
lance
to get at the hunter. Shove the spear right on
through its own body. You use the crosspiece to
fight
off the boar until it dies."
Although this dialogue is talking about somewhere
else, Benedict invokes the flora and fauna of
West
Virginia like Chandler invokes Los Angeles,
playing
off it to enforce the atmosphere of the story.
It's the first novel he wrote, following a series
of
short stories. You can feel the short story
writing
influence in the novel. It's not your standard
stripped down hardboiled fare. Benedict takes his
time, but that doesn't mean it's boring. From the
first sentence, you can feel an evil wind rising.
>>
Somewhere around here I have an ARC of Benedict's first book
TOWN SMOKES, which I greatly enjoyed. I keep meaning to check
out his novel which does sound quite good. I first noticed
Benedict because I was involved in politics when he first
emerged and he comes from a prominent family in West
Virginia. His father served in the U.S. House of
Representatives for one term in the early 80s and ran for the
Senate against Senator Bob Byrd. In an odd footnote,
Pinkney's grandfather also ran against Senator Byrd in the
1950s. Pinkney himself seems to have no political
ambition--which with his writing ability he doesn't need to
waste his energy in politics. Only the Latin writers seem to
be able to combine politics and government service with
writing.
But, Mike, if you like Pinkney, let me recommend another West
Virginia writer to you with an unusual name: Breece D'J
Pancake. Don't take my word for it, here is what Joyce Carol
Oates said on reviewing THE STORIES OF BREECE D'J PANCAKE in
1983: "A writer of such extraordinary gifts that one is
tempted to compare his debut to Hemingway's." She wasn't
interesting in pleasing the writer as poor Breece blew his
brains out at the age of 26.
Now if that is not enough, here is the most remarkable praise
from Kurt Vonnegut. This is from a letter Vonnegut wrote to
National Book Award winner John Casey which amplifies further
his praise:
"I give you my word of honor that he is merely the best
writer, the most sincere writer I've ever read. What I
suspect is that it hurt too much, was no fun at all to be
that good. (Now get this last line) You and I will never
know."
He writes of miners and ex-cons and others in the grit world
where everything revolves around the fight for survival. I
have to say that Pancake is not the best writer I have ever
read nor the most sincere. He is very, very good and that
makes his self-destruction such a thing of regret for we will
never know how good he would have become.
Richard Moore
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