Dashiell Hammet

[Matt Deckard]

Who's read his work and what do you think?

 

[MK]

.

What's he done?

 

[carebear]

There was that story about a statue or something. I guess it was made into a movie?

 

[HadleyH]

What's he done?

I think he wrote detective stories.

 

[Matt Deckard]

anyone read the books?

 

[Nick Charles]

I read the Thinman started to read Falcon and just never finished. Iwant to read the Continental Ops stories.

 

[jamespowers]

Thin Man, Glass Key and Maltese Falcon. His work in literature far exceeds the films that sprung from them. He was once a Pinkerton and it shows. He is not as heavy on the details as say a Conan Doyle but it makes for an easier read. It lends itself to film noir of the mind.

Regards,

J

 

[Sunny]

I've read all his novels (The Maltese Falcon, The Thin Man, Red Harvest, The Dain Curse, and The Glass Key), many of the Continental Op stories, and a couple of other short stories. The verdict?

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

I read quite a bit of Hammett recently, so most of what's below is cribbed from my blog.

The Glass Key was probably the first noir-style book I ever read. Back in junior high it completely lost me, primarily because I was unused to the slang and the atmosphere of deceit and double-dealing. But it's actually quite good; very interesting lines on loyalty, among other things. I'll need to see the film sometime. I'm curious to see how it's adapted, especially compared to the film adaptations of his other novels.

The Continental Op (the detective) tells the stories in first person; he's middle-aged and fat; he's never given a name. But he knows his business and he's no slouch in a fight. The first couple (early) stories I read were a little dull, seeming to focus on the nitty gritty of detective work in the context of a very large agency. The Continental Detective Agency - this is no shoestring outfit. Quickly the action picked up, though, without loosing the practicality and aura of detective authenticity. (How I love authenticity! Just another form of truth, that's all.) "Explosive violence" is putting it mildly at times.

One story involved a holdup. This particular holdup involved one hundred and fifty - yes, 150 - gangsters armed with Thompsons and grenades, getting away with some millions - millions in 1923 dollars - from both a bank and the trust across the street from it. And the excitement didn't stop there.

Red Harvest and The Dain Curse are the Continental Op novels. Red Harvest has, as the title implies, a very high body count. In a small town run by gangsters with uneasy alliances, when things break loose they really tend to break! The Dain Curse is more restrained (which isn't saying much), but there's plenty of hair-raising stuff that goes on. I love it when things that seem unreal and bizarre end up to have very good (and not trite) explanations. It's good for not everything to be explained away, either. Twist endings are always good.

Continental Op stories have a very different feel from his novels. The novels seem at times not only grim but harsh and brutal. But the shorts are simultaneously detached and businesslike and understanding and human and even humorous. I'm no good at expressing mood; it's one of the few things for me that's entirely emotional, and I can't put it in a jar and analyze it. All I can say is how I feel when I'm finished. After The Maltese Falcon or The Thin Man, I feel jaded and sad and a little angry at the messed-up people in the stories. After (most) Continental Op stories, I'm grinning and chuckling because they end with humor, even while I'm sighing a little. The lift at the end comes from my enjoyment of humor and excitement and action.

 

[The Wolf]

he's alright by me

I've read most of his novels and some of his short stories.
Co-incidently, I just started reading "Woman in the Dark".
I like his writing style, however I think he spawned some awful imitators.
I don't necessarily mean Frank Miller.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[Harp]

Hammett's talent as a writer may not rank him with Poe,
but he's earned a niche in the American Literary Pantheon.

Whatever his personal philosophy and politics, Hammett
deserves posthumous apology for Congressional/IRS treatment.
Perhaps a Medal of Freedom award for the courage of conviction.

 

[bingolittle]

its as dark and gritty as it comes!....loads of details and the scenery is vivid!

 

[Johnnysan]

I was introduced to Hammett the way that many are...by watching Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon" and William Powell and Myrna Loy in the Nick and Nora Charles' films. The films got me interested in reading the books but frankly, I was disappointed with some of Hammett's later works. Thankfully, I kept reading.

I picked up a copy of "The Dain Curse" and followed it up with a copy of "Nightmare Town" - a compilation of some of Hammett's earlier works. I am now a fan!

 

[jamespowers]

I had forgotten about the Red Harvest and the Dain Curse. I have them in paperback and haven't read them in years. Perhaps I need to re-read them and refresh the stories in my mind.

Regards,

J

 

[carebear]

I apologize for my earlier cavalier-ity (I figured MK was joking). I've read everything Hammett has written. For anyone seeking to truly understand the noir films, I'd consider it a "must do".

 

[Feraud]

I enjoy his work.

 

[The Reno Kid]

I've read several of his novels and enjoyed them all thoroughly. I was surprised at how well the movie versions of The Thin Man and especially The Maltese Falcon were able to capture the spirit of the books. Hammet was a Pinkerton man before he became a writer, which gave him a certain insight into detective work that most authors before him didn't have. Raymond Chandler was a big fan of his work.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I've read and enjoyed them too!

 

[MK]

(I figured MK was joking).

I was.:icon_smil

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I am looking forward to reading some of his books, which one is a good one to start with?

I have seen Maltese Falcon, Thin Man, etc. And, of course, I know about his being jailed during the McCarthy era for his refusal to cooperate with HUAC. I understand that being jailed broke his health and he had troubles with his lungs after that.

His partner, Lillian Hellman, has written about that era, too, and also refused to cooperate.

karol

 

[Mr. Lucky]

Truly the grand-father of hardboiled detective fiction. He wrote out of necessity after a number of failed business and career ventures. His writing was all done in a fifteen year period and he became the victim of his own success - his drinking increased and his health decreased commesurately. He also had a long affair with playwright Lillian Hellman that lasted until his death. He was also brought before HUAC and labeled Red; a moniker that wasn't wholly undeserved given his politics.

I love his work - the utter moral ambiguity of his characters the drive the stories in direct conflict to the 'code' his narrators and protagonists posess, a code that has it's own ambiguity. He knew people - the worst and the best of their natures. And he explores both with utter contempt for sentiment, as it should be.

Good writer. Bad drunk. But a good writer.