RARA-AVIS: Burke and Parker

Mark Troy (metroy@tamu.edu)
Mon, 31 Aug 1998 16:21:28 -0500 MT wrote:
>
>As to Burke, I am a fan and have a very high opinion of him. It seems
>clear to me that he is a truly hardboiled writer (as much in his
>Robicheaux novels as in the rest of his work), one of the finest. Again,
>you'll find that there's raravian disagreement on this.

I'm a fan of Burke's also. His New Orleans and Iberia Parish sizzle. I
think Hollywood did him a disservice by casting Baldwin in the Robicheaux
role. I would have figured somebody tougher like Tommy Lee Jones. Yes, I
think he's hardboiled, but very complex. Who else has visitations from a
late wife or a Confederate general? I'm undecided about whether those make
him harder or softer (even if the general's visit was the result of a
spiked drink.)

>
>yuppie) attitude. But the first three or four books were and are really
>good, and the man can write, no question about it. The decline of the
>Spenser series may be due to "market conditions", as they say.
>

I divide the Spenser books into BCE (Before Catskill Eagle) and ACE (After
Catskill Eagle). I liked all of the BCE books and none of the ACE ones.
Catskill Eagle seemed like a breakthrough into bestsellerdom and I agree
that the decline may be due to "market conditions." I understand that
Parker was an avid fan of Chandler and wrote a master's thesis on him. I
think it is easy to see Chandler's influence on the early Spenser books and
I wish he had done "Poodle Springs" and "Perchance to Dream" early in his
career. I like the two stories, but can't help thinking they are Parker
trying to imitate Chandler.

Mark

Mark E. Troy

Measurement and Research Services
Texas A&M University
(409) 862-7373
fax: (409 )847-8666
E-mail:metroy@tamu.edu
URL: http://marsquadra.tamu.edu/staff_pages/Mark.html

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