Re: RARA-AVIS: Ellroy
Anthony Smith (ansmith@netdoor.com)
Sun, 29 Mar 1998 10:13:06 -0600
> Ellroy's L.A. quartet (The Black Dahlia, The Big
Nowhere, L.A.
Confidential
> and White Jazz) are in my opinion of one piece and
should be read as
such.
> Since they are all quite dense, but decidedly superior
to his earlier
> (although fascinating) work, I would suggest the stand
alone AMERICAN
TABLOID,
> which is not only his best work to date, but transcends
the genre into
> literature.
Well, I am inclined to disagree with you about the Quartet. I
think
because of the scope, they work as individual novels, even
without reading
the whole thing in order or together. I read _White Jazz_ first
before
going back to _Dahlia_, _LAC_, and _BN_. They are even spread
out between
two publishers, Mysterious Press and Knopf. As for _American
Tabloid_, it
is the first of a new trilogy, part two of which should be out
in 99.
> If a shorter piece is in order, he has a collection of
short stories
called
> Hollywood Nocturnes, which includes the amusing novella
DICK CONTINO'S
BLUES.
Amusing, well, maybe. Lighter in tone, sure, but just as
powerful with
language. It also includes previously published stories, older
ones, but
it is a really spectacular book, including the GQ article about
meeting
Dick Contino.
Anthony Smith
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