Well, Westlake is about as naive as a fox, so I usually pay
attention when he says something. On the other hand, his
business is writing and not interpreting what he writes. He
may see something that pisses him off in his old books and
yet the reader just reads it and enjoys it, blissfully
unaware (clich頡lert).
By the way. Somebody wondered whether the Dortmunder books
share something with the Parker books. I have been rereading
(and completing) this series, so I would say that in it,
Westlake exercises a wholly different set of muscles. These
are the American equivalent of P.G. Wodehouse. Characters
like Tiny Bulcher, Murch and Murch's Mom live in some sort of
timeless fantasy land. While the series may not appeal to
those looking for hardboiled kicks, I think it shows
Westlake's genius (plotting, comic dialogue, timing) in all
its considerable splendor (clich銊alert).
As I write this, I am thinking: it is time to enlarge the old
Chandler + Hammett pantheon with some guys who are alive and
going strong, such as Westlake (very particularly Westlake)
and who have proved to be every bit as good as the old
masters. I would include Block, Gores, Constantine, probably
Elmore Leonard, in this group of seasoned guys who deserve
the pantheon treatment. OK, make it Parnassus instead of
pantheon, so that these fellows don't think we are giving up
on them.
Regards,
MrT
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