RE: RARA-AVIS: Red Harvest

From: Robison Michael R CNIN ( Robison_M@crane.navy.mil)
Date: 05 Nov 2002


Jack wrote: I think that "Red Harvest," except for the opening, is pretty ugly stuff in both a plot and style. (OK it was made from a bunch of novellas. Hammett should have hooked them together better.)

The style is more Hemingway parody than good Hammett. It's choppy and not conversational.

****** Hey! You can't say that in here! ;-)

I've only read it once, but I thought the character development was marginal and the Con Op's incredible toughness, which so many people love, lacks cred- ibility. I thought Mario's comment about it was appropriate. It's an experimental novel.

I'd like to comment on the Hemingway parody thing, but I don't have a good timeline down yet. I know that Hemingway's "Killers" came out in 1927, and I think RED HARVEST came out in 1929, but when was RED HARVEST serialized in Black Mask? My gut level feeling is that Hammett's hardboiled style preceded Hemingway's.

miker

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