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Tag Archives: noir

Farewell, My Lovely

Raymond Chandler is fast on his way to my short list of writers. I love his clipped style and imagery. The metaphors are fantastic. Lines like, “My voice sounded like somebody tearing slats off a chicken coop.” He and Dashiell Hammett invented a truly American, truly new style. I’m taking it at face value that […]

The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep is the first novel of Raymond Chandler’s I’ve read, and so far the best. The language is magnificent. The cadence, iconic similes, and raw energy all form a tense, brooding mood which plays over my mind in black and white. And, of course, the dialog snaps back and forth—everybody’s clever; witty repartee […]