A literary event: The first-ever selection from the letters of
Dashiell Hammett, the genius of American crime fiction . "This book
is a thing of beauty, from concept to execution, taking us all the
way down to the life-marrow of hardboiled's one true icon. Under
Richard 'Shadow Man' Layman's masterful guidance, we find what
Hammett sought (and fought for) his entire life...Truth."Andrew
VachssMore than any book before it, this one gives us the complete
Hammett, in his own words. Here is Hammett the family man, distant
but devoted, sometimes late with the check but never too late;
Hammett the student of politics, scanning the headlines from a
Marxist perspective; Hammett the lover of Lillian Hellman,
delighting in her style, humor, accomplishments but maintaining his
independence. Celebrity, soldier, activist, survivor--Hammett was
each in turn, but he was always, above all else, a writer. The
artist is present in every line, and this book adds to his stature
as a classic American writer."That these letters read exceptionally
well is no surprise...[Hammett] comes across here as authentically,
contradictorily human." Book magazine"An illuminating collection of
the famed writer's letters...A fine rendering of Hammett's life in
his own words--and a remarkable slice of Americana."Kirkus
Reviews"A dry fatalism in the letters sent me back to the novels
and their absence of mercy. No book on Hammett has made that tone
clear in terms of his life. But these letters show the
old-fashioned literary gent (vaguely tickled by praise from Gide
and Malraux) who still kept a thug in tow, a kind of inner Ned
Beaumont, to make sure that pride or pleasure never got out of
hand." David Thomson, New York Times Book Review "The key
revelations are personal: self-portraits of the author as doting
father, unremitting drunk, self-educated intellectual, committed
Marxist, patriot, soft touch, seducer, and romantic...Compelling
and informative."Dick Lochte, Los Angeles Times Book Review"They do
not disappoint. They sound gloriously like Hammett, full of wry
observation, whether he is describing his evening at the Brown
Derby or finally reading Wuthering Heights." Lisa Levy,
Entertainment Weekly (A-)
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