tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post1686091843988214068..comments2024-03-26T17:48:56.627+00:00Comments on 'Do You Write Under Your Own Name?': Forgotten Book - Released for DeathMartin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-51008374904886446242010-05-08T20:56:06.168+01:002010-05-08T20:56:06.168+01:00Curt, I agree it was a bad slip. A great critic, S...Curt, I agree it was a bad slip. A great critic, Symons, but we all make mistakes.Martin Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-68918004099322655252010-05-08T07:31:00.613+01:002010-05-08T07:31:00.613+01:00Martin, as you would know, I wasn't personally...Martin, as you would know, I wasn't personally so crazy about this one, but I think it's really quite notable for the subjects it deals with in the period when it appeared. As you and Xavier indicate, it up-ends the conventional view of the Symons-Watson school about what Golden age writers were trying to do. And there's no question but that the "Humdrum" label, as defined by Symons himself, is an absurdity as applied to Wade. I respect a lot of Symons' work, but his declaration of Wade as "humdrum" unconcerned with character and theme is terribly unfair, a real slip on his part.vegetableducknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-89970109262771184992010-05-08T00:28:05.325+01:002010-05-08T00:28:05.325+01:00Thanks for these comments. I do feel Wade deserves...Thanks for these comments. I do feel Wade deserves to be remembered. Xavier, glad you like this book too.Martin Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-66487580459438342002010-05-07T18:49:17.300+01:002010-05-07T18:49:17.300+01:00Sounds interesting, Martin! I like the idea of the...Sounds interesting, Martin! I like the idea of the book starting out in a prison and following a cat burglar. Very different. I'd be interested in seeing these frequent POV shifts done well, too.<br /><br />Elizabeth<br /><a href="http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"> Mystery Writing is Murder</a>Elizabeth Spann Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15625595247828274405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-91363638851376924022010-05-07T17:02:50.569+01:002010-05-07T17:02:50.569+01:00You continue to amaze me, Martin, with these Golde...You continue to amaze me, Martin, with these Golden Agers I've neglected.Evan Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07620731784654779358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-12620432891154583762010-05-07T16:16:29.200+01:002010-05-07T16:16:29.200+01:00I read this two years ago and I second your recomm...I read this two years ago and I second your recommendation. This kind of books give the lie to the oft-repeated claim that Golden Age writers were not concerned with "the real world as it really is" and lower classes, and sided systematically with authority (the police's behavior is not quite above reproach there). It is also interesting to see an early and wholly British take on a theme which went to become a staple of hardboiled/noir fiction. My only quibble would be about the casual racism in the presentation of the villain. Not enough to fully spoil the enjoyment, but still bothersome.Xavierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05702919450638993709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-34984925480939239772010-05-07T13:29:22.315+01:002010-05-07T13:29:22.315+01:00It must have really felt different at the time whe...It must have really felt different at the time when everyone expected a puzzle except in the pulps.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.com