CHARLES McCLUSKY, facts or legend?
I came across a rather strange report about an American crime
writer who is apparently totally forgotten: Charles
McClumsky, born in 1903.
In an article of the mid 80's, a French essayist, a
crime/detection novels specialist, was visiting Robert Bloch
in the USA and the latter told him about McClusky. Bloch,
with the help of some others, was giving some finance support
to McClusky who lived then literally as a bum. The French
essayist even claimed that with the help of Bloch he met
McClusky. The life of the writer seems as interesting as his
writings, going from a meeting with Ambrose Bierce during the
twenties, at a time Bierce was considered dead (with some
letter by Bierce, claimed to be from the same period, finally
accepted as authentic !) to spending 12 years in jail after a
scam in 1953, fabricated by his wife and her lover who
planted drugs in his home to get rid of McClusky. Oh, and let
us not forget this : the wife published
(and appropriated) one of his existing manuscripts during his
jail term under the name of Atha McGuire, title of the novel:
HOMICIDE HUSSY, in Gold Medal series, 1955- and McClusky did
never get any money from it of course. And much more.. Maybe
Bill Crider has the book on his shelves?
Novels that were published by McClumsky, (besides short
stories for pulps):
- THE HOUND -1933- Wisconsin Press -reputed to be rather
HB
- THE INVISIBLE FIEND- 1934 The last one was published in
very small quantity and each of the books was hand finished
by McClusky who, as a realistic final touch, partially torn
the last page and soiled it with chicken blood, page
containing a one and only unfinished sentence... The novel
carried many white pages that translated the mental disarray
of the central character, PI Dave Parker, during his reported
story.
Some of his works were even translated in French at the time,
by obscure small publishing houses.
Does somebody know something more about the books? Or the
writer?
We all know that life has a better imagination than most of
fiction writers, but the whole thing seems to me like a
fabricated legend... I could be totally wrong, of
course.
E.Borgers Hard-boiled Mysteries http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6384
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