--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Channing"
<filmtroll@...> wrote:
>
> That's one of the things that makes Willeford
great,
> he didn't care about standard mystery/noir
conventions.
> He's an original with a powerful voice who did
things
> his own way. His best books are grimly
> funny despite their bleak subject matter.
>
I'm a longtime fan and have recommended Willeford to many
friends and acquaintances... and the conclusion seems to be
that people who mainly read straight mysteries don't connect
well with Willeford, while those who read all sorts of
things, especially avant-garde literature, love him. An
example: a friend who is a fan of Calvino, Borges, Queneau
and similarly ironic writers (and not a reader of mysteries,
hardboiled or not) thought that Willeford was a master writer
after I lent him The Woman Chaser. He even returned it
promptly, as an unheard of gesture of gratitude, and
proceeded to buy his own Willefords.
Maybe Willeford doesn't have that many readers, but how many
readers does Nathanael West have? Or Faulkner? People know
"about" these authors, but other than a smattering at school
(perhaps), I don't think they're much read. And the complete
short stories of Nabokov
(mostly gold) were remaindered a few months after they came
out. I know because I bought a remaindered copy. Willeford
might do OK simply by word of mouth.
Best,
mrt
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