On Sat, Oct 4, 2008 at 9:59 AM, davezeltserman <davezelt@rcn.com> wrote:
> Hard to take any list without Maltese Falcon leading it too seriously.
I don't agree. Sure, if it was about absolutes, MALTESE FALCON should
have ranked, but I think Pelecanos was putting the emphasis on the
"My" in "My Five Most Important Crime Novels", and frankly there is
nothing MALTESE FALCON-esque about Pelecanos' novels. We all know
what the five best crime novels are (!), and it just wouldn't be that
interesting if everyone asked simply itemized the list. Pelecanos was
putting up a list of five great novels that influenced him. Of the
titles on the list, I think the Price one is of special interest
because Pelecanos worked with Price on THE WIRE. Though I have only
read a couple of Price books (as opposed to all of Pelecanos), I
believe that Price has been a huge influence on Pelecanos, and the
fifth entry in the list is an honest appreciation of a truly great and
under-appreciated writer.
--Stewart
> --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Michael S. Chong"
> <menglish47@...> wrote:
>>
>> From Newsweek dated Sep 29, 2008
>> http://www.newsweek.com/id/160097
>>
>> My Five Most Important Crime Novels
>>
>>
>> 1.
>> "
>> The Long Goodbye
>> " by Raymond Chandler. A melancholic ode to loss and the
> passage of time.
>>
>> 2.
>> "
>> The Burglar
>> " by David Goodis. Hypnotic prose and a shocking ending.
> Call it pulp if you have the need to. It's disturbing art.
>>
>>
>> 3.
>> "The Last Good Kiss" by James Crumley. The post-Vietnam
> stunner that reinvigorated the genre and jacked up a generation of
> future crime novelists.
>>
>>
>> 4. "Swag" by Elmore Leonard. Down-and-dirty, this one
> smokes front to back, and the voice is one of a kind.
>>
>>
>> 5. "Clockers" by Richard Price. My generation's "Grapes
> of Wrath."
>>
>> A CLASSIC YOU'VE REVISITED WITH DISAPPOINTMENT: "The
> Godfather" by Mario Puzo. Except for the page that features Sonny and
> the bridesmaid. That page never disappoints.
>>
>> A BOOK YOU HOPE PARENTS READ TO THEIR KIDS: "True Grit" by
> Charles Portis. A great adult novel with a strong, teenage female
> protagonist.
>> ***Interesting choices... I'm surprised Pelecanos did not include
> Newton Thornburg's "Cutter and Bone" for which he wrote an
> introduction for a reissue.
>> Michael
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