Saturday, January 05, 2008

Generations

On his blog tonight Bill Crider reviews John D. MacDonald's Where is Janice Gantry, a Gold Medal from the early Sixties. I've always remembered it for its strong, evocative opening. And the story holds up throughout. Bill offers his usual incisive criticism and makes a point we've both discussed before. Here's Bill:

"MacDonald has his flaws, the irritating male/female dialog exchanges chief among them, but when it came to getting down the details of his time (he seemed to know everything about everything) and creating memorable characters, situations, and stories, he was hard to beat. I know some younger readers find him slow. I can't imagine that, but maybe the attention to detail, character, and description has something to do with it. Times and tastes (not mine) have changed."

Awhile back I did a signing at a mystery store. I happened to be sitting in front of a shelf of John D paperbacks and so when readers and I began bandying writer names back and forth it was logical I'd bring him up. Those over forty-five were big fans of JDM. The under forty-fives seemed to find him slow. Too much description and psychology.

I held my temper in check (though I did later take an ice pick to several tires)-- Kidding. I wanted to know who the younger people were reading. And to quote Gomer Pyle surprise surprise--they were reading younger writers. They liked stripped down, they liked larger than life, they liked thrill upon thrill. Some of the "new" writers are already middle aged. But they don't write like it.

There's a new generation just as there'll always be a new generation. And while all of us read back and forth across the decades, there's definitely a new style, a new voice, a new take on the kind of hardboiled crime fiction Bill and I grew up reading.

No right or wong here. Just many gifted new writers showing us duffers some new dance steps.

4 comments:

pattinase (abbott) said...

Too bad it has to be either or.

Ed Gorman said...

I don't think it has to be either or, Patti. I enjoy the writers I grew up reading and books by numerous new(er) writers are on my bookshelves as well. It's an unending process, generation unto generation.

Ed Gorman said...

I don't think it has to be either or, Patti. I enjoy the writers I grew up reading and books by numerous new(er) writers are on my bookshelves as well. It's an unending process, generation unto generation.

Judi Rohrig said...

Funny thing is as I have met writers whose storytelling I admire, I find those "new" writers who seem most able to rub two words together delight in discussing their favorite MacDonald stories. Some favor the McGee series, but most are quick to name a "little" book whose characters spoke to them as writers. Joe Lansdale was quick to mention SOFT TOUCH, but for a fun spin of back-to-back books read JohnD's END OF THE NIGHT then Lansdale's THE NIGHTRUNNERS. Add to Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and Ed -- writers offering who have heaped praises on JohnD's writings -- Lansdale, Michael Slade, the late Richard Laymon, Jack Ketchum, Tom Piccirilli, and Brian Hopkins.

Slow? Deliberate is a better description. Oh, what a writer could learn from such a master.

There are several MacDonald books I haven't read yet. I'm saving them for old age. :-)

Best
Judi Rohrig