Block seems to be one of the most mysterious personalities
among the great modern crime writers... If I try to figure
out the person from the books (which is something the reader
does almost unconsciously), I come up with aspects: great
knowledge of arcana, wicked sense of humor, great virtuosity
with the pen, the ability to be as hardboiled as anybody, a
sense of aesthetics, a lurid side. He comes across as a half
dozen writers put together. Curiously, I don't get that
impression with Westlake, who also has written very different
types of books. In animal terms, Westlake comes across
clearly as the fox. Block, I can't place.
Best,
mrt
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 19 Dec 2007 EST