Elmore Leonard has died of a stroke at the age of 87. I have only read one of his novels, Get Shorty, and listened to one on CD, The Switch. A favorite scene from The Switch, which I think typifies his writing style, tells of one guy waiting in the car for his friend. On the way back to the car, the friend finds a golf club. When he gets back to the car, he considers making a quip using the club, but thinks better of it because he knows his friend is expecting him to. So he just throws the club into the back seat instead.
He wrote westerns, crime novels, and the short story, Three-Ten to Yuma, which was twice make into film. Leonard was known for his compact writing style, as this Onion obituary notes, via MadisonMan, via Althouse.
Added: Icepick finds writing tips by Leonard.
He wrote westerns, crime novels, and the short story, Three-Ten to Yuma, which was twice make into film. Leonard was known for his compact writing style, as this Onion obituary notes, via MadisonMan, via Althouse.
Added: Icepick finds writing tips by Leonard.
18 comments:
Trooperbate.
Which...well..wait. That looks wrong.
I don't know much about the man except that he could have been named Leonard Elmore and it still would have made sense.
Ricky Branch agrees.
Amba and Althouse, both, had tributes.
Trooper had one firstest and bestest.
If you ever stopped by and hung out with us guttersnipes you'd know that, Leominster.
If I cant be first, because I'm not good at it, I don't bother.
Just saying.
Deborah, Great link to the Onion obit. Leonard would laugh his ass off @ that.
Sixty, Do not summon the beast w/ the name of the late, Dodger GM...backwards
Well alrighty then, Nick. I guess you are not familiar with the wit and wisdom of Carol Herman.
More's the pity.
Elmore Leonard was the dean of American Mystery writers who had recently got his due because of the popularity of his character Raylan Givens and the FX show "Justified." Many of his books have been made into pretty good movies like "Rum Punch" that was made into "Jackie Brown" and the aforementioned "Get Shorty."
He was also an excellent western writer who had several riveting novels that were also made into pretty good movies including "Hombre" and "Valdez is Coming."
One of my personal favorites was a simple little story called "Mr. Majestyk" where Charles Bronson just wanted to deliver his watermelons.
His tales of the Detroit underworld and the sleaze of Florida were top notch writing and he just started to get some literary cache from the pompous mo's that give out the awards that ignore the great genre writers who are so much more readable than the tripe that wins awards.
He also wrote about the craft of writing and gives some very valuable advice.
His wit and wisdom will be sorely missed.
The Onion piece goes well with this piece by Leonard himself.
Thx Icepick, that's just what I wanted.
I'll look for Mr. Majestyk on CD for my next car trip.
Sixty, I still have nightmares about Carol Herman. And I know the Ricky Branch comment speaks to one of her many Professor Irwin Coreyisms.
There was a writer.
Carol Herman or Elmore Leonard?
They are the same person.
Creeley is Carol Herman? That explains a hell of a lot :)
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