In his blog I too rarely read Peter Rozovsky has started a new series of posts: he looks into the classic American hardboiled crime fiction. Here are his posts on
Lionel White,
Edward Anderson (
Thieves Like Us),
James M. Cain,
Dan J. Marlowe and Robert Silverberg (admittedly a small one) and finally
Dan J. Marlowe (again!), Paul Cain and Jim Thompson. He has also some other fascinating posts on different subjects, go read them all!
Thanks for the kind words. I especially like Dan J. Marlowe from among the authors I’ve been reading recently. We may get the author of the forthcoming Marlowe biography to come to Philadelphia for Noircon in November.
ReplyDeleteI also have some ideas about why James M. Cain has dated less well than Chandler, Hammett, and Paul Cain, though some will disagree with me. Whether James. M. Cain’s background in slick magazines and newspapers vs. the other authors’ origins writing for pulp magazines had anything to do with this is a matter for speculation.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com
Many people sure disagree with you about James M. Cain! I'm certain many will say that he's the least dated of the bunch. Might Chandler be the most dated?
ReplyDeleteCain's influence seems more lasting than the other writers', am I right? The private eye genre isn't really that big anymore. (Paul Cain then again is however another matter entirely.)
James M. Cain's influence has certainly been greater than Paul Cain's because Paul Cain wrote so little. As to which of the two seems fresher today, however, I think the answer is unquestionably Paul Cain.
ReplyDeleteAcknowledging, again, that I've read less of James M. than I have of those other guys, the most I can grant him is the status of a seminal, indisputably important trailblazer who, however, was soon surpassed by the greater achievements of others. I find The Getaway's doomed lovers on the road to hell fresher and more chilling than those in The Postman Always Rings Twice, for example.
One could argue, on the other hand, that Hammett and Chandler remain unsurpassed at the things they did best.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com
Well, to be fair, it's been years since I last read James M. Cain, but yes, as a trailblazer he's probably more important than Chandler or even Hammett. But you're right about the way that others did more chilling books than he did.
ReplyDeleteBut I was going to say that Dan J. Marlowe is certainly an unappreciated author. Beware of his Earl Drake series though, except the first two.
ReplyDeleteOne Endless Hour and The Name of the Game is Death are stunningly good. But, yes, I have less interest in the subsequent books, where Drake apparently went James Bond because Marlowe's publisher thought Richard Stark had the burglar market sewn up.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this new Marlowe biography will raise his profile.
When will it be out by the way?
ReplyDeleteSoon. In the next month or two, I think. The author is Charles Kelly, who has written introductions to some recent Marlowe reprints. He's at @KellyPulpnoir22 on Twitter, if you want to write to him.
ReplyDeleteTell him Peter sent you.
ReplyDelete