RARA-AVIS: Re: Parker as an Influence

From: jacquesdebierue ( jacquesdebierue@yahoo.com)
Date: 20 Apr 2008


--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, Kevin Burton Smith <kvnsmith@...> wrote:
>
> John Shannon wrote:
>
> > Yes, you can pick the very sentence where Chandler stops and Parker
> > starts.
> > Too bad. Fifty writers (or so) could have done a creditable job
> > completing
> > Poodle Springs.
>
> And probably would have been as routinely slammed for it as well. A
> short story is one thing, but completing an unfinished novel by
> someone so beloved and with such a distinctive voice?
>

It's a very difficult task. Lawrence Block did something similar when he completed a Woolrich novel. I think the result was quite good. I couldn't tell when Woolrich ended and Block started. He even used some of Woolrich's awkward constructions to give it verisimilitude.

Best,

mrt



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