Re: RARA-AVIS: A little annoyed

MT (matrxtech@sprintmail.com)
Wed, 30 Sep 1998 11:40:48 -0500 David White:

<<Okay, I see how it is... You guys are classic lovers, and can't stand
some up-to-date stuff (that's fine, I'm not criticizing)... But let me
put it this way... No matter how his books have gone down hill... Parker
is still one of the best writers on the market today... He has the best
modern PI out there, that I've read (Vachss' Burke is Batman w/o the
costume)... and the Chandler estate asked him to write Poodle Springs,
and Perchance to Dream... THEY ASKED HIM... From where I'm standing, he
did a darn good job... certainly his books are a little more
light-hearted, but hey, the man knows how to write... His Marlowe's
aren't arrogant, they are tributes... Who else out there has the talent
and knowledge to have done this? I'm sure someone will back me up...>>

People are just expressing opinions about books - don't take it
personally. I didn't see anything arrogant in Parker's Marlowe books -
formally, he did a good job. However, Parker did not capture the spirit
of the character; neither did he manage to create the moment-to-moment
forward tension that Chandler conjures up with a few words. I would say
that these books are honorable failures, the failure owing to the
impossibility of recreating Chandler's magic voice.

A few years ago, a very good pianist called Christopher O'Riley put out
an album with transcriptions of Art Tatum solos. Now, O'Riley has
tremendous technique but his transcriptions sound limp - he couldn't
capture the spontaneity of Tatum's improvisations because he was
imitating. What sounds surprising and magic in Tatum's original
recordings loses its vigor in its recreation. I think Parker was a
victim to the same basic problem - you can't simulate such an original
personality.

Regards,

MT
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