10 buku elmore leonard teratas 2022

Elmore Leonard

Elmore John Leonard Jr. [October 11, 1925 – August 20, 2013] was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.

Among his best-known works are Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Swag, Hombre, Mr. Majestyk, and Rum Punch [adapted as the film Jackie Brown]. Leonard's writings include short stories that became the films 3:10 to Yuma and The Tall T, as well as the FX television series Justified.

Early life and education[edit]

Leonard was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Flora Amelia [née Rive] and Elmore John Leonard, Sr.[1] Because his father worked as a site locator for General Motors, the family moved frequently for several years. In 1934, the family settled in Detroit.

He graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1943 and, after being rejected for the Marines for weak eyesight, immediately joined the Navy, where he served with the Seabees for three years in the South Pacific [gaining the nickname "Dutch", after pitcher Dutch Leonard].[2] Enrolling at the University of Detroit in 1946, he pursued writing more seriously, entering his work in short story contests and submitting it to magazines for publication. He graduated in 1950[3] with a bachelor's degree in English and philosophy. A year before he graduated, he got a job as a copy writer with Campbell-Ewald Advertising Agency, a position he kept for several years, writing on the side.[3]

Career[edit]

Leonard had his first success in 1951 when Argosy published the short story "Trail of the Apaches."[4]: 29 During the 1950s and early 1960s, he continued writing Westerns, publishing more than 30 short stories. He wrote his first novel, The Bounty Hunters, in 1953 and followed this with four other novels. His western novels had already begun to show his fondness for culturally diverse outsiders and underdogs. He often developed his characters through dialogue, each defined by means of their speech. For many of his stories he favored Arizona and New Mexico settings.[5] Five of his westerns were turned into major movies before 1972: The Tall T [Randolph Scott], 3:10 to Yuma [Glenn Ford], Hombre [Paul Newman], Valdez Is Coming [Burt Lancaster], and Joe Kidd [Clint Eastwood].

In 1969, his first crime story titled The Big Bounce was published by Gold Medal Books. Leonard was different from the well-known names writing in this genre, such as Raymond Chandler or any of the other famous noir writers – no melodrama and pessimism, but more interested in his characters and in realistic dialogue. The stories were often located in Detroit, but apart from his favorite setting he also liked to use South Florida as a setting. LaBrava, a novel set there published in 1983, was also the occasion for a New York Times review, in which Leonard moved from mystery suspense short story writer to novelist.[6] His next book, an Atlantic City gambling story published in 1985 and titled Glitz, was his breakout in the crime genre. It spent 16 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. Other crime novels that followed were all bestsellers, as well.[7][8] In his review of Glitz, Stephen King placed him in the same company as John D. MacDonald, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, but Leonard himself felt more influenced by Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck.[9] Leonard believed that his books during the 1980s were becoming more humorous and that he was developing a style that was more free and easy. His own favorites were the Dixie Mafia story Tishomingo Blues from 2002 and Freaky Deaky from 1988 about ex-hippie criminals.[10] Some characters appear in several novels, including mobster Chili Palmer, bank robber Jack Foley and the U. S. Marshals Carl Webster and Raylan Givens.[11][12] His crime books were published amongst others by Fawcett Publications, Bantam Books and Dell Publishing. In the 1980s his publisher was Arbor House, later also William Morrow & Company as an imprint of HarperCollins. There are different reprints of his novels; in the 2000s these included editions from Weidenfeld & Nicolson. At the time of his death his novels had sold tens of millions of copies.[13]

Among film adaptations of his work are Jackie Brown [starring Pam Grier, directed by Quentin Tarantino] which is a "homage to the author's trademark rhythm and pace";[13] Get Shorty [1995, John Travolta and Gene Hackman]; Out of Sight [1998, George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, directed by Steven Soderbergh] and the television series Justified.[14] Nearly thirty movies were made from Leonard's novels, but for some critics his special style worked only in print.[15]

Personal life[edit]

He married Beverly Clare Cline in 1949, and they had five children together—two daughters and three sons[16]—before divorcing in 1977. His second marriage in 1979, to Joan Leanne Lancaster [aka Joan Shepard], ended with her death in 1993. Later that same year, he married Christine Kent and they divorced in 2012.[17][18]

Leonard spent the last years of his life with his family in Oakland County, Michigan. He suffered a stroke on July 29, 2013. Initial reports stated that he was recovering,[19] but on August 20, 2013, Leonard died at his home in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills of stroke complications.[20] He was 87 years old.[17][18]

One of Leonard's grandchildren is Alex Leonard, the drummer in the Detroit band Protomartyr.[21]

Writing style[edit]

Commended by critics for his gritty realism and strong dialogue, Leonard sometimes took liberties with grammar in the interest of speeding the story along.[22] In his essay "Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules of Writing" he said: "My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it." He also hinted: "I try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip."[22]

Elmore Leonard has been called "the Dickens of Detroit" because of his intimate portraits of people from that city, though he said, "If I lived in Buffalo, I'd write about Buffalo."[4]: 90 His favorite epithet was one given by Britain's New Musical Express: "the poet laureate of wild assholes with revolvers".[23] His ear for dialogue has been praised by writers such as Saul Bellow, Martin Amis, and Stephen King. "Your prose makes Raymond Chandler look clumsy," Amis told Leonard at a Writers Guild event in Beverly Hills in 1998.[24] Stephen King has called him "the great American writer."[25] According to Charles Rzepka of Boston University, Leonard's mastery of free indirect discourse, a third-person narrative technique that gives the illusion of immediate access to a character's thoughts, "is unsurpassed in our time, and among the surest of all time, even if we include Jane Austen, Gustave Flaubert, and Hemingway in the mix."[26]

Leonard often cited Ernest Hemingway as perhaps his single most important influence, but at the same time criticized Hemingway for his lack of humor and for taking himself too seriously.[27] Still, it was Leonard's affection for Hemingway, as well as George V. Higgins, that led him to will his personal papers to the University of South Carolina, where many of Hemingway's and Higgins' papers are archived. Leonard's papers reside at the university's Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.[28][29][30]

Leonard in turn had a very strong influence on a generation of crime writers that followed him. His obituary in USA Today named George Pelecanos, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, and Laura Lippman.[31]

Awards and honors[edit]

• 1984 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Novel of 1983 for LaBrava.
• 1992 Grand Master Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Mystery Writers of America[32]
• 2008 F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Award for outstanding achievement in American literature; received during the 13th Annual F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference held at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, United States.[33]
• 2010 Peabody Award, FX's Justified[34]
• 2012 National Book Award, Medal for Distinguished Contribution[35]

Works[edit]

Novels[edit]

Leonard also contributed one chapter [the twelfth of thirteen] to the 1996 Miami Herald parody serial novel Naked Came the Manatee [ISBN 0-449-00124-5].

Collections[edit]

Short stories[edit]

Screenplays[edit]

Audiobooks[edit]

All but three of Leonard's novels have been performed as audiobooks [the exceptions being Escape From Five Shadows {Escape from Five Shadows audiobook published by Harper Audio 2017}, Hombre, and La Brava].[citation needed] Many Leonard works [including The Big Bounce, Be Cool and The Tonto Woman] have been recorded more than once resulting in more than 70 English-language audiobook versions of Leonard novels.[citation needed] Many of these were abridgements, the last of which was Pagan Babies [2000] read by Steve Buscemi. Certain narrators have dominated the Elmore Leonard oeuvre, notably Frank Muller [11 audiobooks], Grover Gardner aka Alexander Adams [7], George Guidall [5], Mark Hammer [5], and Joe Mantegna [5]. Other notable Leonard narrators include Liev Schreiber, Neil Patrick Harris, Tom Wopat, Arliss Howard, Joe Morton, Taye Diggs, Brian Dennehy, Bruce Boxleitner, Tom Skerritt, Robert Forster, Dylan Baker, Paul Rudd, Keith Carradine, Ed Asner, Henry Rollins, and Barbara Rosenblatt, the only female narrator of an Leonard work [the story, When the Women Come Out to Dance].[37]

Nonfiction[edit]

• 10 Rules of Writing [2007]
• Foreword to Walter Mirisch's book I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History

Adaptations[edit]

Twenty-six of Leonard's novels and short stories have been adapted for the screen [19 as motion pictures and another seven as television programs].

Film[edit]

Aside from the short stories already noted, a number of Leonard's novels have been adapted as films, including Get Shorty [1990 novel, 1995 film], Out of Sight [1996 novel, 1998 film], and Rum Punch [1992 novel, 1997 film Jackie Brown]. The novel 52 Pick-Up was first adapted very loosely into the 1984 film The Ambassador [1984], starring Robert Mitchum and, two years later, under its original title starring Roy Scheider. Leonard has also written several screenplays based on his novels, plus original screenplays such as Joe Kidd [1972].

The film Hombre [1967], starring Paul Newman, was an adaptation of Leonard's 1961 novel of the same name.

His short story "Three-Ten to Yuma" [March 1953] and novels The Big Bounce [1969] and 52 Pick-Up have each been filmed twice.

Other novels filmed include:

• 3:10 to Yuma [1957 film] [with Glenn Ford and Van Heflin]
• Hombre [with Paul Newman]
• Mr. Majestyk [with Charles Bronson]
• Jackie Brown [Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro] from Rum Punch
• The Big Bounce [1969 film] [with Ryan O'Neal]
• Valdez Is Coming [with Burt Lancaster]
• 52 Pick-Up [with Roy Scheider, Ann Margaret]
• Stick [with Burt Reynolds]
• The Moonshine War [with Alan Alda and Patrick McGoohan]
• Last Stand at Saber River [with Tom Selleck]
• Gold Coast [with David Caruso]
• Glitz [with Jimmy Smits]
• The Ambassador [1984 American film] [Robert Mitchum, Rock Hudson, Ellen Burstyn]
• Cat Chaser [with Peter Weller]
• Out of Sight [George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheadle]
• Touch [with Christopher Walken]
• Pronto [with Peter Falk]
• Be Cool [with John Travolta, Harvey Keitel, Uma Thurman]
• The Big Bounce [2004 film] [with Morgan Freeman, Owen Wilson, Gary Sinese]
• Killshot [Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke].
• Get Shorty [with John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Danny Devito]
• Freaky Deaky [with Christian Slater]
• Life of Crime [Jennifer Aniston] [from The Switch]
• 3:10 to Yuma [2007 film] [with Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Peter Fonda]

Quentin Tarantino has optioned the right to adapt Leonard's novel Forty Lashes Less One [1972].[38]

Television[edit]

• In 1992, Leonard played himself in a script he wrote and, with actor Paul Lazar dramatizing a scene from the novel Swag, appeared in a humorous television short about his writing process which aired on the Byline Showtime series on Showtime Networks.
• The 2010–15 FX series Justified was based around the popular Leonard character U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, from the novels Pronto, Riding the Rap, the eponymous Raylan, and the short story "Fire in the Hole".
• The short-lived 1998 TV series Maximum Bob was based on Leonard's 1991 novel of the same name. It aired on ABC for seven episodes and starred Beau Bridges.
• The TV series Karen Sisco [2003–04] starring Carla Gugino was based on the U.S. Marshall character from the film Out of Sight [1998] played by Jennifer Lopez.
• The 2017 Epix series Get Shorty is based on the novel of the same.[39]

References[edit]

1. ^ Ells, Kevin [January 31, 2011]. "Elmore Leonard Jr.". Encyclopedia of Louisiana. Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities [published August 21, 2013]. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
2. ^ Jesse Thorn [July 3, 2007]. "Podcast: TSOYA: Elmore Leonard". Maximum Fun [Podcast]. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
3. ^ a b "Elmore Leonard > About the Author". Random House. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
4. ^ a b Challen, Paul C. [2000]. Get Dutch! : a biography of Elmore Leonard. Toronto: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1550224221. OCLC 44674355.
5. ^ Ward, Nathan [May 16, 2018]. "Elmore Leonard's gritty westerns". Crimereads. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
6. ^ Mitgang, Herbert [October 23, 1993]. "Novelist discovered after 23 books". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
7. ^ "I am glad, I am not a screenwriter". British Film Institute. May 9, 2006. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
8. ^ Acocella, Joan [September 24, 2015]. "The Elmore Leonard Story". The New York Review of Books. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
9. ^ King, Stephen [February 10, 1985]. "What went down when Magyk went up". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
10. ^ McGilligan, Patrick [March 30, 1998]. "Elmore Leonard interviewed by Patrick McGilligan : On writing and movies". Film Comment. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
11. ^ "Elmore Leonard". fantasticfiction.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
12. ^ "The 10 best Elmore Leonard stories". rogerpacker.com. August 27, 2013. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
13. ^ a b "Novelist elevated crime thriller, mastered dialogue"; Julie Hinds; Detroit Free Press; August 21, 2013; page A1
14. ^ "Elmore Leonard, writer of sharp, colorful crime stories, dead at 87 - CNN.com". CNN. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
15. ^ Lane, Anthony [August 21, 2013]. "The Dutch accent: Elmore Leonard's talk". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
16. ^ Leonard, Elmore [2009]. Comfort to the enemy and other Carl Webster tales. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0297856689. OCLC 302068307. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
17. ^ a b Whitall, Susan [August 20, 2013]. "Elmore Leonard, the 'Dickens of Detroit,' wrote with gritty flair". Entertainment. The Detroit News. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
18. ^ a b Stasio, Marilyn [August 20, 2013]. "Elmore Leonard, Who Refined the Crime Thriller, Dies". Books. The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
19. ^ Whitall, Susan [August 5, 2013]. "Elmore Leonard in hospital recovering from stroke". Entertainment. The Detroit News. Archived from the original on August 24, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
20. ^ "Photos: Elmore Leonard dies". Arizona Daily Star. August 20, 2013. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
21. ^ Lipez, Zachary [December 23, 2015]. "Second Impressions of Protomartyr". Vice. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
22. ^ a b Leonard, Elmore [July 16, 2001]. "Writers on Writing; Easy on the Adverbs, Exclamation Points and Especially Hooptedoodle". Arts. The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
23. ^ The Telegraph, 20 August 2013 Archived November 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 22, 2017
24. ^ Leonard, Elmore [January 23, 1998]. "Martin Amis interviews Elmore Leonard" [PDF] [Interview]. Interviewed by Amis, Martin. Archived [PDF] from the original on April 9, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
25. ^ King, Stephen [February 1, 2007]. "The Tao of Steve". Entertainment Weekly [published August 8, 2003]. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
26. ^ Rzepka, Charles [2013]. Being Cool: The Work of Elmore Leonard. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 21. ISBN 9781421410159.
27. ^ Mark Lawson, "Best-selling novelist Elmore Leonard, master of verbal tics and black humour" Archived November 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, August 20, 2013.
28. ^ "Elmore Leonard's Papers [and Hawaiian Shirts] Go to University of South Carolina". October 16, 2014. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
29. ^ "From 'Get Shorty' to 'Glitz:'10000000002 USC acquires collections of crime novelist Elmore Leonard". October 15, 2014. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014.
30. ^ "Elmore Leonard archive goes to South Carolina". October 15, 2014. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
31. ^ McClurg, Jocelyn and Carol Memmott [August 20, 2013]. "Author Elmore Leonard dies at 87". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
32. ^ "Edgar Award Winners and Nominees Database". Mystery Writers of America. search using surname Leonard. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
33. ^ "Past Honorees". cms.montgomerycollege.edu. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
34. ^ "2010 Peabody Recipients". Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
35. ^ Flood, Alison [September 20, 2012]. "Elmore Leonard to be honoured by National Book Foundation". Books. The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
36. ^ Penzler, Otto, ed. [2001]. Murderers' Row Original Baseball Mysteries [First ed.]. CA: New Millennium Entertainment. ISBN 978-1893224254.
37. ^ Stim, Richard [August–September 2007]. "Have I told you about my Elmore Leonard audiobook collection?" [PDF]. AudiOpinion. AudioFile. pp. 14–15. Archived [PDF] from the original on November 26, 2012.
38. ^ Kirk [August 17, 2009]. "Tarantino's Lost Projects: '40 Lashes Less One'". We Are Movie Geeks. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
39. ^ Petski, Denise [May 16, 2017]. "'Get Shorty' Gets Premiere Date On Epix; Unveils First-Look Photos". Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2017.

External links[edit]

• Official website
• Elmore Leonard at IMDb
• Elmore Leonard at Find a Grave
• Elmore Leonard at Curlie
• The Economist: 31 August 2013 Obituary Elmore Leonard, crime-fiction writer, died on August 20, aged 87
• Elmore Leonard's career
• Elmore Leonard on fantasticfiction.com
• Elmore Leonard Archive at the University of South Carolina Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.

One of the coolest things about Elmore Leonard’s crime fiction is that he didn’t get to it until he was close to 50 years old and had been a professional writer for more than 20. His books pared away anything unnecessary with the ruthless good cheer of a steely veteran with little patience for wasting time.

The 50-plus novels that followed [culminating in 2012’s Raylan, published a year before he died] read like movies because they’re informed by movies—they’re all mixed up in movies. “I liked Western movies a lot, and I wanted to sell to Hollywood right away and make some money,” Leonard once recalled of his early days selling short stories to Western magazines in the ’50s. Hollywood was definitely interested, but turning his work into a truly great film proved surprisingly tricky. “Elmore’s insights come from his narrator’s voice—that’s the real pleasure of his stories,” director William Friedkin once said. “And that’s hard to translate onscreen.”

But after many decent-to-horrible early adaptations, some filmmakers started getting it right, with Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, and Out of Sight coming in the ’90s alone, and his Raylan Givens series spawning the six-season FX hit Justified that wrapped up earlier this year. So you may know Leonard even if you’ve never read him.

If you’re new to the guy, here’s a quick sampler of nine of his best. I’ve split the choices into three stretches of three straight books apiece, because I love the idea of streaks in an artist’s career—stretches when everything clicked. We start with the early Detroit novels in the ’70s, move to the tacky and creepy Miami underworld in the early-to-mid-’80s, and finish in the thick of Leonard’s prime.

The Early Years

Fifty-Two Pickup [1974]

In 1972, Leonard read and loved George V. Higgins’s celebrated crime novel The Friends of Eddie Coyle: He said the 1970 book helped him “loosen up” and “get into scenes quicker.” Just a couple of years later, he wrote Fifty-Two Pick Up.

In notes for a speech, Leonard wrote, “My crime stories are set in the present and usually within a relatively short time frame: a few days or weeks and with a certain urgency, something about to happen. I don’t care for novels that go on and on for years.”

Another thing you should know: Most of Leonard’s male leads are a variation of the same guy. The guy who isn’t the smartest and may not always come out on top. A good-looking fellow without being pretty, athletic [or at least not a klutz], pretty smart, honest, and direct. He’s not beyond mixing it up if he has to, but above all, he’s a guy who is cool. Rational, level-headed. Here, Harry Mitchell is a classic Leonard protagonist: a good guy, but one not to be fucked with. Also, the bad guys in this story get their share of space, and it’s clear how much Leonard enjoys them.

Swag [1976]

Originally titled The Frank and Ernest Method, this caper shows Leonard’s comedic chops. The book’s pleasures, aren’t in the plot, though, but the scenes, the characters, and especially all the dialogue. Your two heroes are Frank Ryan, a used-car salesman, and Ernest Stickley Jr., who steals cars. It’s Ryan—the more disagreeable [and quotable] of the two—who outlines his philosophy of crime on cocktail napkins:

ALWAYS BE POLITE ON THE JOB. SAY PLEASE AND THANK YOU. NEVER SAY MORE THAN IS NECESSARY. NEVER CALL YOUR PARTNER BY NAME—UNLESS YOU USE A MADE-UP NAME. DRESS WELL. NEVER LOOK SUSPICIOUS OR LIKE A BUM. NEVER USE YOUR OWN CAR. [DETAILS TO COME.] NEVER COUNT THE TAKE IN THE CAR. NEVER FLASH MONEY IN A BAR OR WITH WOMEN. NEVER GO BACK TO AN OLD BAR OR HANGOUT ONCE YOU HAVE MOVED UP. NEVER TELL ANYONE YOUR BUSINESS. NEVER TELL A JUNKIE EVEN YOUR NAME. NEVER ASSOCIATE WITH PEOPLE KNOWN TO BE IN CRIME.

I don’t think this is one of his best, but it’s a fun book and good company. Also, the last scene is expert, and boasts the most satisfying final line of any of Leonard novel.

Unknown Man #89 [1977]

Five months before the publication of Unknown Man No. 89, Leonard took his last drink. In this novel, he takes an uncharacteristic detour from his usual taut plotting to address the protagonists’ troublesome relationship with alcohol. It feels like the scene in French Connection II when the movie yields for 15 minutes as Gene Hackman detoxes in a dank cell in Marseilles. But while the digression has autobiographical overtones, it’s not indulgent, and it’s marked by Leonard’s usual compression and rhythm:

Why he was drinking didn’t matter either. Because he was Irish or basically insecure? He was drinking. He could admit he was powerless over it once he got going, and he was still drinking. Sitting quietly in a bar, looking at his options and his reflection. He looked good, tan in the tinted bar mirror. His memory wasn’t too sharp, though. He wasn’t sure of the exact date, April 25 or 26. May 1 was a little too far off. The thing to do was call one of his friends in AA, admit he was fucking up and needed help, a kick in the ass. Or he could go to a meeting tonight. He hadn’t been to a meeting in about four months, and maybe that was his problem. Find one in the area. Call the main office and find out where to go in Pontiac. Go home and take a shower and a quick nap first, having something to eat. Pay and get out of here.

Atau hanya memiliki satu lagi.

Miami Vices

Stick [1983] [1983]

Di sini kita membuat Leonard memasuki masa jayanya dalam hal kualitas dan kuantitas [dia menulis tujuh novel antara Manusia Tidak Dikenal #89 dan yang ini], pindah dari Detroit ke Florida selatan. Ini adalah tahun 80 -an, dan waktu untuk meninjau kembali seorang teman lama, dia berkata, "Untuk melihat apa yang dia lakukan sekarang." Itu akan menjadi Stickley yang sungguh -sungguh, terakhir terlihat mengambilnya di dagu dengan barang curian.

Leonard tidak pernah menulis seri raksasa dengan pahlawan yang sama seperti novelis kejahatan lainnya [lihat Lew Archer atau Lee Childs 'Jack Reacher], meskipun ia mendekati karirnya dengan Givens yang dibenarkan-inspiringraylan. Namun, dia kadang -kadang meninjau kembali karakter, dan Stick fitur salah satu protagonis Leonard favorit saya. Juga, ada orang jahat yang benar -benar menyeramkan dalam hal ini.

Burt Reynolds membuat tongkat ke film yang sangat menyebalkan, sayangnya, setelah itu penulis menulis film bintang:the author wrote the movie star a letter:

Ketika saya menulis, saya melihat orang -orang nyata dan mendengar orang sungguhan berbicara. Tetapi ketika saya melihat gambar yang saya lihat terlalu sering aktor akting, aktor memukul kata yang salah, merampok, melebih-lebihkan atau menguraikan pada garis punch, klise ad-libbing, membuat rekaman untuk sering menggunakan "brengsek." Saya mendengar apa yang tampaknya bagi saya terlalu banyak ketukan di antara pertukaran, berhenti untuk reaksi, tersenyum untuk kepentingan penonton-seperti mengatakan, "Dapatkan?"-atau mencibir atau melihat dengan mata terbelalak yang tidak saya lihat dalam kehidupan nyata.

Labrava [1983]

Novel klasik Florida Selatan yang penuh dengan Kuba, Redneck, Yahudi [baik muda maupun muda], dan bintang film yang sudah tua. Suasana saja membuat ini menyenangkan, dan dianggap sebagai salah satu yang terbaik dari Leonard. Kali ini, lelaki terkemuka adalah Joseph Labrava, seorang mantan pria layanan rahasia yang sekarang menjadi fotografer profesional, yang memberikan kesempatan kepada Leonard untuk menimbang pretensi seni-dunia dan pengerjaan tanpa basa-basi. Inilah Labrava berbicara dengan ratu film yang sudah tua, Jean Shaw:

"Tinjauan di koran mengatakan, 'Subteks estetika dari karyanya adalah paparan sistematis pretensi artistik.' Saya pikir saya hanya mengambil gambar."

Jean Shaw berkata, “Kesederhanaan. Itu adalah apa adanya. " Lalu berhenti. “Dan apa yang tidak juga. Apakah itu yang Anda katakan? "

Dia tidak ingin dia berusaha keras.

... "Gaya Anda adalah tidak adanya gaya. Apakah Anda akan mengatakannya? ”

Dia berkata, "Tidak ada sudut rumit," karena dia tidak tahu apakah dia memiliki gaya atau tidak. "Aku tidak pandai sudut rumit."

Glitz [1985][1985]

Buku terlaris pertama Leonard - setiap novel yang diterbitkannya adalah buku terlaris juga. Orang jahat itu, Teddy Magyk, begitu bengkok bahkan penciptanya tidak menyukainya, dan novel ini memiliki ketidaknyamanan yang tulus yang tidak biasa dalam buku -buku Leonard. Ini seperti orang yang tak tersentuh adalah untuk Brian Depalma atau Silence of the Lambs adalah untuk Jonathan Demme: hiburan yang licin dan diproduksi dengan baik yang tidak memiliki kesegaran dan kecerdasan dari pekerjaan sebelumnya. Glitz adalah bacaan yang bagus - Anda tidak bisa meletakkan benda sialan itu - dan sepadan dengan waktu Anda. Tapi Luc Sante, menulis di New York Review of Books, membahas beberapa masalahnya:

Selama lebih dari dua dekade, Leonard diam -diam menghasilkan paperback aslinya, First Westerns dan kemudian novel -novel kejahatan, tidak meminta perhatian pada dirinya sendiri, disembunyikan oleh gayanya yang bijaksana. Dia tiba -tiba "ditemukan" satu atau dua tahun yang lalu, dengan suara berisik dan dikemas ulang, dan sekarang tampaknya dalam bahaya oversold. Buku barunya, Glitz, telah keluar dalam tatapan promosi yang menyilaukan yang membuat judulnya tampak terlalu tepat. Penumpukan semacam ini hampir menjamin kekecewaan; Glitz, sayangnya, menegaskannya. Dalam buku ini mata dan telinga Leonard sama tertariknya seperti biasa, tetapi kelemahannya, terendam dalam novel -novel sebelumnya, semuanya hadir sekaligus dan terlihat tidak nyaman.

... Namun, pada akhirnya, Leonard secara aktif selingkuh demi kepentingan hasil akhir yang bagus, sesuatu yang belum pernah diketahui sebelumnya. Hasilnya adalah produk generik dengan beberapa fitur superior, tetapi, seperti dalam jenis film beranggaran tinggi yang pasti akan menjadi kemewahan, kelicikan itu hanya berfungsi untuk menyoroti cacat.

Klasik langsung

Get Shorty [1990] [1990]

Ini berfungsi sebagai hiburan yang santai dan sebagai sindiran Hollywood: ini adalah salah satu novel kejahatan terbaiknya, dan itu harus menjadi salah satu dari 10 novel Hollywood terhebat, titik. Get Shorty, sebagian, terkait dengan pengalaman Leonard dengan Dustin Hoffman, yang panas untuk membuat Labrava pada pertengahan tahun 80-an, hanya untuk keluar setelah banyak pertimbangan. Musyawarah legendaris. "Shorty" dalam buku ini adalah potret klasik dari bintang film yang rewel dan mementingkan diri sendiri. Oh, dan dia pendek.

Ketika buku itu keluar, Hoffman menelepon Leonard dan bertanya apakah "Shorty" seharusnya menjadi dia. Leonard berkata, "Ayo Dustin, Anda pikir Anda satu -satunya aktor pendek di Hollywood?"

Bob maksimum [1991] [1991]

Favorit pribadi. Ini diterbitkan ketika Leonard berusia 65 tahun, memasuki fase master Jedi -nya. Anda dapat melihat dia tersenyum pada mesin tik saat Anda membalik halaman demi halaman. Ini mungkin bukunya yang paling lucu juga. Ada banyak karakter dan subplot - ini adalah bagian ansambel, seperti film Altman - tetapi Leonard tidak pernah istirahat. Ini adalah perjalanan yang halus, berlian-dalam-back, sunroof-top.diamond-in-the-back, sunroof-top ride.

Seperti yang ditulis Clifford Irving di L.A. Times::

Gelap itu, karena Leonard, seperti komik sejati, memiliki pandangan melankolis tentang dunia dan penghuni primitifnya. Tanpa bermoralisasi, dia memberi tahu kita - tidak, dia menunjukkan kepada kita - bagaimana hidup busuk berada di jantung Amerika Serikat. Dalam "Bob Maksimal," lebih dari sebelumnya, ia adalah Delineator yang hebat dari Macho Redneck, The Professional Thug, Slob Jalanan Semi-Mindless yang membunuh dan melukai dan memperkosa karena itu adalah bagian dari mistik kekerasan Amerika dan sepertinya seperti Menyenangkan, yang secara berkala menemukan rumah di penjara sehingga dia melakukan rencana hidup, dan merupakan jantung dari "masalah kejahatan" kita semua berdiskusi tanpa henti di halaman op-ed dan di pesta koktail . Tetapi Leonard tahu hal -hal yang tidak kita miliki, atau setidaknya dia menyulap mereka dengan imajinasi yang menakjubkan dan akal editorial yang cukup untuk menciptakan aura keaslian.

Juga, Hakim Bob Gibbs adalah salah satu kreasi komik terbaik Leonard.

Rum Punch [1992] [1992]

"Minggu pagi, Ordell membawa Louis untuk menyaksikan demonstrasi kekuatan putih di pusat kota Palm Beach." Jadi, Beginsa Novel, banyak yang tahu lebih baik untuk perawatan filmnya, Jackie Brown 1997. Meskipun Quentin Tarantino mengubah judulnya - dan peran utama dari seorang wanita kulit putih menjadi wanita kulit hitam - Leonard menyukai film itu, dan Anda dapat melihat alasannya. Tarantino mendapatkan sensibilitas yang benar, atau setidaknya datang sedekat mungkin dengan layar: bersahaja, santai, dan lucu, dengan lebih dari sekadar jejak ancaman. Dalam wawancara tahun 1998 dengan pengagum Belanda lama, Leonard mengatakan:

Saya tidak peduli dengan seberapa dekat [salah satu buku saya] diadaptasi. Saya hanya berharap ini film yang bagus. Misalnya, Rum Punch to Jackie Brown. Quentin Tarantino, tepat sebelum dia mulai menembak, berkata, "Saya takut menelepon Anda selama setahun terakhir." Saya berkata, “Mengapa? Karena Anda mengubah judul buku saya? Dan Anda melemparkan seorang wanita kulit hitam yang memimpin? " Dan dia berkata, "Ya." Dan saya berkata, “Anda pembuat film. Anda dapat melakukan apa pun yang Anda inginkan. " Saya berkata, “Saya pikir Pam Grier adalah ide yang luar biasa. Lanjutkan." Saya sangat senang dengan hasilnya juga.

Alex Belth telah menulis tentang baseball, seni, dan budaya di New York City di Bronx Banter sejak tahun 2002. Dia membuat jurnalisme klasik, yang sebelumnya tidak tersedia online, di Stacks serta The Daily Beast. Baru -baru ini, ia menulis berita kematian Yogi Berra untuk SI.com. has written about baseball, the arts, and culture in New York City at Bronx Banter since 2002. He curates classic journalism, previously unavailable online, at The Stacks as well as the Daily Beast. Recently, he wrote Yogi Berra’s obituary for SI.com.

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