The World of Raymond Chandler: In His Own Words (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) Paperback – November 10, 2015

This is a lovely book for Chandler readers and, indeed, for all interested in American crime fiction. First—what is it and what is it not? It is neither an autobiography nor a memoir, pieced together from Chandler fragments. It is a reconstruction of the Chandlerian ethos, using quotations from Chandler’s fiction and letters. The editor provides some narrative threads and links but Chandler’s work dominates the book (as it should) as his world is recreated.There are nine sections: Chandler as Atlantic writer, split between two homes and cultures; the writing process; Philip Marlowe, Chandler’s protagonist and alter ego; cops and crime; the city of the angels; Hollywood; women in life and fiction; writing, part 2; and the final farewell. These are solid, organizing themes. The editor is providing us a sense of Chandler’s experience, of his world, as writer and man. There is no attempt to fill in all of the blanks of his life, e.g., the treatment of his mother by her family when she was forced to return to England after Chandler’s father left. For those details the reader will want to read an actual biography. I recommend Tom Hiney’s (1997).This compilation reminds us of Chandler’s consummate skill as a stylist. He was not much for plots or situations, but he excelled and achieved immortality as a line-by-line, word-by-word writer. Billy Wilder chose to work with him because of a single line from The High Window: “He had hair growing out of his ear long enough to catch a moth.” Who writes like that? Who could write like that, Wilder thought. Such phrases were very hard-won, the work of a writer who had studied Latin, Greek, French and German and mastered the English of two quite different cultures. The World of Raymond Chandler is filled with them.Chandler was also one of the world’s truly great letter writers. Frank MacShane’s selection of them (1981) should be in every reader’s library. For years a mainstay on remainder tables, there are many copies still available for a pittance from Amazon’s booksellers—one of the great literary bargains of all time.Barry Day’s selected quotations are fulsome and apt. He has combed through Chandler’s works and, obviously, created a vast system of files and subject areas. The reader is the beneficiary. He has also added a multiplicity of photographs—239 in all. Some are familiar; some are not. These include stills from films, jacket art and candids. They enrich the book immensely and underline the contrasts and complements between word and image with which Chandler the screenwriter and script doctor had to conjure.Released by Knopf just in time for Christmas giving, this is the perfect present for a Chandler reader. It can be ‘read in’ as well as ‘read through’. Read it now and then read it whenever you need to remind yourself of the manner in which a writer can develop a sense of craft that is sometimes heart-breaking in its achievement. Chandler said that you can only learn from the second-rate writers because the great writers have a magic that is inexplicable and unapproachable. The magic is here, in full force.

When reading this, I entered a time warp. Though I still have my Chandler fictions and biographies, it s been a long while since I did my deep dive. I bought this out of curiosity and instantly was re-immersed.

The World of Raymond Chandler In His Own Word offers a fine introduction to Chandler's life and work and supplies a refreshing reminder to those who are quite familiar with his novels and short stories. It is well illustrated with historic photographs of Chandler's life, his book covers and Los Angles during the era in which the novels and short stories are set. The chronology is a very helpful guide to Chandler's childhood, World War One experiences, his business career, and his work writing short stories, novels, and screen plays.Chandler along with Hamett, Cain and McDonald had an immense impact on American popular literature and cinema. He was twice nominated for Academy Awards for his screenplays and several films of his novels helped to make the careers of Humphrey Bogart, Dick Powell, Fred McMurray, Lauren Bacall and Barbara Stanwyck. Chandler wrote for both Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock. Additionally, Chandler wrote extensively on the craft of writing as it relates to the genres of hard boiled and noir detective fiction.Notable chapters in The World of Raymond Chandler In His Own Words include those on his birth, childhood and growing up in Chicago, Nebraska and the England, the development of his writing style for the pulp literature market, the urban history of Los Angles, and his literary and film industry criticism. Barry Day relies almost exclusively on Chandler's novels, short stories and personal letters; most of the book is Chandlers words organized by Day whose transitions within chapters are clear and concise.

Dying is easy. Living is hard., February 19, 2015By Rhio9 (San Francisco, CA)This review is from: The Raymond Chandler In His Own WordsDying is easy, living is hard. (OR....."if life is the survival of the fittest, fittest for what?")It's a good book, but not much information about Chandler's life, but I guess that's the point - his life and his world are two different things: characters, illusions, dialog, plots, celebrities and, of course, Los Angeles, as itself, all on one side, and alcoholism, family and personal tragedy on the other.This might be the only book I read about Raymond Chandler, not because he comes across as superficial and shallow, almost as self-obsessed as an empty bottle of Jack Daniels; that could be said about a lot of people. But mostly because I love his screen plays and the film-noir masterpieces that have been adapted from his writing.I'm not particularly a fan of "pulp" detective novels or crime-fighting who-done-it mysteries, where the same story is told over and over again with as much variation as a bachelor washing his own socks. Most of these "true detective" stories that even Chandler writes simply change the names of the characters to avoid the temptation to get bored, like trying to decide to make a right turn to the wife, or a wrong turn to the girlfriend.

very good

if you like Mr Raymond Chandler for his crisp dashing descriptions of a clients character, or his soft watercolor images of a sexy lady in waiting - then this book is for you. Many if not all of Marlowe's dialogue is in this book. He knows how to dish out excellent vernacular and excellent at setting up a scene.Raymond you deserve a five star rating *****