Re: RARA-AVIS: Mysterious (Hardboiled?) Poets

From: Scott Owen ( scottaowen@hotmail.com)
Date: 09 Apr 2002


Who says poets need to cross over into prose? Joseph Mancure Marsh's book length poem, The Set-up, was the basis for the great noir movie of the same name.

--Scott

>From: Reed Andrus < rsandrus@swbell.net>
>Reply-To: rara-avis@icomm.ca
>To: rara-avis@icomm.ca
>Subject: RARA-AVIS: Mysterious (Hardboiled?) Poets
>Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 10:54:56 -0500
>
>A couple of comments, perhaps only marginally on-topic.
>First, I read The Church of Dead Girls, found it to be very
>well-written, heavily noir rather than hard-boiled (some reviewers
>and/or critics have cited its horror elements; personally, I
>didn't find much connection), and slow-going. I wasn't
>particularly moved to read Dobyns' second offering in this
>vein -- the name of which escapes me at the moment.
>
>Second, you're dismissing _all_ mysteries written by poets
>based on this single book? That's similar to dismissing the
>entire John Sandford/Lucas Davenport series as serial killer
>novels on the basis of reading one book. You might want
>to find Death and the Good Life by Richard Hugo (St. Martins,
>1981), or some of Michael Cadnum's output (notably his
>YA novel, Calling Home, published by Viking in 1991; most
>of his other books are horror/dark fantasy, but well worth your
>time). I'm sure there are other poetical exceptions that fall into
>the hardboiled/noir camp.
>
>... Reed
>
>
> > Richard Moore < Moorich2@aol.com> noted: "I also picked up several by
>Stephen
> > Dobyns, a writer who has recently caught my eye. One I am excited about
> > reading was one of his "mainstream" novels but it looks very much in
>line
> > with our focus. The title: THE CHURCH OF DEAD GIRLS. I liked the
>opening.
> > Without giving anything away as to plot, are there any out there who
>have
> > read this one and have an opinion?"
> >
> > I read a couple of his horseracing books years ago and found them short
>of
> > plot. He's a poet, I decided poets can't write mysteries, and I haven't
>read
> > any fiction written by poets since then. How's his plotting these days?
>Did
> > I write him off too soon?
> >
> > Joy, who can do either her taxes or her 20 best by 4/15
>
>--
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