RARA-AVIS: Re: RARA-AVIS Digest V3 #715

From: Peter Davis ( yourflesh@worldnet.att.net)
Date: 21 May 2001


> ... Jake Arnott is the latest Brit Ellroy - I submitted a review of
> his first book THE LONG FIRM to mystery guide.com largely because I was so
> annoyed at the positive critical reaction to what I saw as a lazily
> researched see through re-write of the 1960's by numbers. His new one is just
> out to a similar reaction - I will be interested to see what it's like. I am
> yet to find much in the way of decent British noir/hardboiled but will be
> pleased to be pointed at some. ... - Douglas E Winter RUN
>

> On the Scottish/English issue, I am reminded of a quote from
> Trainspotting:
>
> Some people hate the English, but I don't. They're just wankers. We,
> on the other hand, are colonized by wankers. We can't even pick a
> decent culture to be colonized by. We are ruled by effete arseholes.
> It's a shite state of affairs.
>
> Mark

Personally, I have yet to read anything from the British Isles that sates my tastes in hb literature though Arnott's THE LONG FIRM is one book that has come closest. Really enjoyed that book, point of fact, and recall getting marginally trounced on this list a-way-back when I first declared it. Why? Probably because the commentator felt some need to make it known that they their taste in lit was a bit more "refined" then mine, which is fine of course; have at it I say. Timlin on the other hand is indeed a softy, and unlike Arnott, doesn't possess the tools of communication I find worth listening to. I think maybe one reason why the Brits like to assign the Ellroy tag is he personifies the "ugly American" tag we're so often derided by: oh how they love to hate us!

The word-for-word TRAINSPOTTING quote referenced is definitely my favorite rant from the film. I originally saw the film with a friend from Ireland who was visiting, and after he recovered from laughing his ass off he told me a more frankly laid statement would be hard to make...

-Peter

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