-----Original Message----- From: Michael Robison <
zspider@gte.net> Sent: Sep 30, 2003 5:03 PM To:
rara-avis@icomm.ca Subject: RARA-AVIS: Kantner, Pancake,
Brody, Didion, and West
Right now I'm finishing up one that Jim Blue (I think)
recommended about a year ago, Joan Didion's PLAY IT AS IT
LAYS. They compare her to Nathanael West on the back cover. I
can see a couple reasons. Human cruelty figures big. And this
particular one is a classic Hollywood book, reminiscent of
West's DAY OF THE LOCUST. All the classic Hollywood themes
done up in style.
miker
--
If you like "Play It As It Lays," do check out the essay "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream" in Didion's collection "Slouching Toward Bethlehem." Among its other virtues, that essay has a memorable line alluding to "Double Indemnity." That line was what confirmed me in my embattled love of JD's writing.
You might also want to read Pauline Kael's review of the Didion-scripted "Play It As It Lays" movie. The review is vicious, vicious, and *entirely* unfair ... but it does help to put the material's attitudes into perspective.
c.
-- # Plain ASCII text only, please. Anything else won't show up. # To unsubscribe from the regular list, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to # majordomo@icomm.ca. This will not work for the digest version. # The web pages for the list are at http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/ .
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 01 Oct 2003 EDT