Miker,
Re your comments below:
"In spite of the many kind words about Hammett in Chandler's
famous 'Simple Art of Murder' essay, there was at least
comment that made me think that Chandler didn't much care for
Hammett's literary abilities."
Well, the line from TSAM respecting Hammett that I can recall
almost word for word was:
"He did again and again what only the best writers can do. He
wrote scenes that seemed to have never been written
before."
I'd personally love it if everyone thought so little about MY
writing abilities, and expressed their distaste in such
terms.
I think you're mistaking Chandler's ambition to do BETTER
than Hammett with disdain. He did lament that there were
things "Hammett couldn't say or did not feel the need to
say," and these "things" were what Chandler thought he could
bring to the hard-boiled genre he'd grown to admire.
We all admire those who influence us, but we all have
ambitions to do and be better than those who inspire us.
Sinatra, for example, was a huge Bing Crosby fan, and his
ambition (largely fulfilled) was to be bigger than Crosby.
The Beatles were huge admirers of Elvis Presley, and sought
to be bigger and better than the King. Their ambition did not
diminish their admiration and respect for the accomplishments
of their forebears, and neither, for all the arrogance he
often displayed in his letters, did it for Chandler.
JIM DOHERTY
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