Re: RARA-AVIS:Gault

Mario Taboada (matrxtech@sprintmail.com)
Fri, 12 Dec 1997 14:03:24 +0000 Tosh Berman:

<<This might have been a subject matter I missed on this list, but who
is William Campbell Gault?>>

Gault (1910-1995) was a prolific writer of mysteries and books for young
people; in a long career, he wrote some of the most interesting private
eye novels I have ever read (two series, featuring Brock Callahan and
Joe Puma, respectively), nonseries novels, and many short stories for
the pulps. What's remarkable about Gault is the freshness and
spontaneity of his authorial voice (as fresh as Willeford, if not on the
same level of literary wizardry), the consistent level of his work (I am
not aware of any really weak books of his), his sense of humor and
gentle irony, and his powers of observation of people and details. I
consider him a master, even though he did not have the incredible
inventiveness and virtuosity of a Fredric Brown, or the clockwork
precision of a Howard Browne. I would say that his virtues are less
visible and therefore his work seems at first sight more modest than
that of other famous writers. But only at first sight...In that respect,
he resembles the great Charles Williams.

Regards,

Mario Taboada
#
# To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to majordomo@icomm.ca.
# The web pages for the list are at http://www.vex.net/~buff/rara-avis/.