Funky Friday’s Free-For-All Interweb Mash-Up: Let’s Just See If We Can Get Through This Without Saying ‘Baloohaha’, Shall We?
Don’t get us wrong, we’re delighted to have something fresh to read on Ray Chandler, but are we really still making ‘The Case for Raymond Chandler’? “The creator of Philip Marlowe has been called an imitator and a hack, but he deserves his lonely, disillusioned corner in the American literary canon,” says Allen Barra over at The Salon … As far as we’re concerned, that case is closed, gone and very probably lurking at the back of the lost-luggage rack in Brazzaville: Chandler was Hemingway with a sense of humour, end of story … The rather nifty Aussie crime blog After Dark My Sweet has the long-list for the 2007 CWAA Ned Kelly Awards, the results of which will be announced at The Age Melbourne Writers’ Festival in September … Update-Update-Update … Benjamin Black, aka Vincent Banville’s brother, didn’t scoop the €10,000 Irish Fiction Award at the 37th Listowel Writers’ Festival for Christine Falls, the gong and substantial cheque going instead to Roddy Doyle (right) for his novel Paula Spencer. And there was us thinking a crime novel actually had a chance of winning. We are such silly spoons … Sorry about the short notice, folks, but Belfast’s cracking crime bookstore No Alibis hosts an intriguing night’s writerly wibbling tonight, when Christopher Phillips holds forth on philosophy and love in the 'Socrates Café' in order to plug his new book, Socrates In Love. This coming after the (ooo-er, missus) monthly Candle and Mirror poetry evening … Finally, the news that Jason Starr and Ken Bruen are releasing Slide, another collaborative effort, through Hard Case Crime this coming October sent us scurrying to YouTube to track down Bernard and Manny’s attempt (below) to co-write a children’s book, The Elephant and The Monkey, about a liquorice-eating, trombone-playing, bottle bank-dwelling (erm) mouse. Sure, ’tis genius, to be sure. That’s all for this week, folks – enjoy the weekend and y’all come back now, y’hear?
No word at the moment on Christopher appearing in Dublin, but if you contact the man himself - SocratesCafe@aol.com - I'm sure he'll be glad to put you straight.
And another thing, 'Death in Belmont' by Sebastian 'The Perfect Storm' Junger - discuss. At length. In Bobby the Rookie's humble opinion, it's a fine piece of delayed reportage. And a nifty crime novel to boot. BY a fuckin' A writer. Even if he writes for Vanity Fair. Step it!
Keep talkin' that crazy talk, Kemosabe ... We'll be watching out for that 200-wd review of Belmont coming through the back window wrapped around a brick or we CAP your ass ... Talk to our people, bro: they pay in headless jellybabies. 'Nuff said, respeck.
... are we really still making ‘The Case for Raymond Chandler’? “The creator of Philip Marlowe has been called an imitator and a hack, but he deserves his lonely, disillusioned corner in the American literary canon,” says Allen Barra over at The Salon …
OK, that Allan Barra article is a few years old, but even then, he was sharing with us the excitement of a discovery we had made years earlier. It's nice that people still care enough to write about Chandler, though.
I was flipping through Ken Bruen's Calibre yesterday. I was intrigued by the protagonist's declaration that he can't read Chandler's novels anymore but can learn all that needs to be known about writing from his letters. I should dig up those letters. I've sometimes found the oft-quoted Chandler pronouncements a bit dated and stilted even if I agree with what he had to say.
============== Detectives Beyond Borders "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home" http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Declan Burke has published a number of novels, the most recent of which is ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL. As a journalist and critic, he writes and broadcasts on books and film for a variety of media outlets, including the Irish Times, RTE, the Irish Examiner and the Sunday Independent. He has an unfortunate habit of speaking about himself in the third person. All views expressed here are his own and are very likely to be contrary.
‘The Case for Raymond Chandler’? “The creator of Philip Marlowe has been called an imitator and a hack, but he deserves his lonely, disillusioned corner in the American literary canon,” says Allen Barra over at The Salon … As far as we’re concerned, that case is closed, gone and very probably lurking at the back of the lost-luggage rack in Brazzaville: Chandler was Hemingway with a sense of humour, end of story … The rather nifty Aussie crime blog After Dark My Sweet has the long-list for the 2007 CWAA Ned Kelly Awards, the results of which will be announced at The Age Melbourne Writers’ Festival in September … Update-Update-Update … Benjamin Black, aka Vincent Banville’s brother, didn’t scoop the €10,000 
Irish Fiction Award at the 37th Listowel Writers’ Festival for Christine Falls, the gong and substantial cheque going instead to Roddy Doyle (right) for his novel Paula Spencer. And there was us thinking a crime novel actually had a chance of winning. We are such silly spoons … Sorry about the short notice, folks, but Belfast’s cracking crime bookstore No Alibis hosts an intriguing night’s writerly wibbling tonight, when Christopher Phillips holds forth on philosophy and love in the 'Socrates Café' in order to plug his new book, Socrates In Love. This coming after the (ooo-er, missus) monthly Candle and Mirror poetry evening … Finally, the news that 
Jason Starr and Ken Bruen are releasing Slide, another collaborative effort, through Hard Case Crime this coming October sent us scurrying to YouTube to track down Bernard and Manny’s attempt (below) to co-write a children’s book, The Elephant and The Monkey, about a liquorice-eating, trombone-playing, bottle bank-dwelling (erm) mouse. Sure, ’tis genius, to be sure. That’s all for this week, folks – enjoy the weekend and y’all come back now, y’hear?
Hey Declan, how are things?
ReplyDeleteIs Christopher Phillips doing any readings in Dublin? I'm working my way through 'Socrates in Love' at the moment...
Hi Sinead -
ReplyDeleteNo word at the moment on Christopher appearing in Dublin, but if you contact the man himself - SocratesCafe@aol.com - I'm sure he'll be glad to put you straight.
Cheers, Declan
And another thing, 'Death in Belmont' by Sebastian 'The Perfect Storm' Junger - discuss. At length. In Bobby the Rookie's humble opinion, it's a fine piece of delayed reportage. And a nifty crime novel to boot. BY a fuckin' A writer. Even if he writes for Vanity Fair. Step it!
ReplyDeleteKeep talkin' that crazy talk, Kemosabe ... We'll be watching out for that 200-wd review of Belmont coming through the back window wrapped around a brick or we CAP your ass ... Talk to our people, bro: they pay in headless jellybabies. 'Nuff said, respeck.
ReplyDelete... are we really still making ‘The Case for Raymond Chandler’? “The creator of Philip Marlowe has been called an imitator and a hack, but he deserves his lonely, disillusioned corner in the American literary canon,” says Allen Barra over at The Salon …
ReplyDeleteOK, that Allan Barra article is a few years old, but even then, he was sharing with us the excitement of a discovery we had made years earlier. It's nice that people still care enough to write about Chandler, though.
I was flipping through Ken Bruen's Calibre yesterday. I was intrigued by the protagonist's declaration that he can't read Chandler's novels anymore but can learn all that needs to be known about writing from his letters. I should dig up those letters. I've sometimes found the oft-quoted Chandler pronouncements a bit dated and stilted even if I agree with what he had to say.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/