Scan barcode
martrj's review against another edition
3.0
Another fun collection of short stories (more like novellas), including one that reads like a self-aware self-parody, and the opening essay from which this collection gets its name is an interesting insight into Chandler's thoughts on the staleness of the murder mystery.
amandagstevens's review against another edition
4.0
Worth owning for the opening essay; his closing words on the detective hero are unexpectedly moving. The rest of this collection is composed of short stories pre-dating Marlowe, a fascinating glimpse into the development of both Chandler as an author and Marlowe as a character.
alex_ellermann's review against another edition
5.0
I just fell in love with Raymond Chandler.
'The Simple Art of Murder' is a funny, penetrating, and altogether satisfying essay on the nature of literature, the nature of that unique form of literature known as the mystery novel, and on writing itself. In it, Chandler makes a case with which I'm entirely sympathetic: it isn't the genre that matters - be it literary fiction, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, detective novels, travelogues, political treatises, histories, or even scientific works. It's the writing that matters. If the writing is alive, everything else falls into place. The long-dead and never-lived can walk this or any other world. Ideas can sing. The universe can illumine itself. Even an essay on literary theory can make the reader thrill, and laugh, and feel sorry when s/he turns the last page.
I've been aware of Chandler forever, but I don't think I've read him before. I'm about to become an expert.
'The Simple Art of Murder' is a funny, penetrating, and altogether satisfying essay on the nature of literature, the nature of that unique form of literature known as the mystery novel, and on writing itself. In it, Chandler makes a case with which I'm entirely sympathetic: it isn't the genre that matters - be it literary fiction, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, detective novels, travelogues, political treatises, histories, or even scientific works. It's the writing that matters. If the writing is alive, everything else falls into place. The long-dead and never-lived can walk this or any other world. Ideas can sing. The universe can illumine itself. Even an essay on literary theory can make the reader thrill, and laugh, and feel sorry when s/he turns the last page.
I've been aware of Chandler forever, but I don't think I've read him before. I'm about to become an expert.
bhan13's review against another edition
3.0
The essay before the stories is very grumpy, and I didn't agree with his criticism partly because I am annoyed that so many authors think a mystery has to involve murder. Art theft, disappearance, historical mystery (like Josephine Tey's 'Daughter of Time' - great book), code, forgery, I 'd love to read a pile of non-murder mysteries!
bstratton's review against another edition
3.0
Some good stuff in here, but they don't hold a candle to Chandler's novels.
absentminded_reader's review against another edition
5.0
Although I am not a fan of crime novels, and although not every story in this anthology caught my fancy, I overall became a fan of how Chandler writes. Earlier notes that I posted as I worked my way through this book reveal how enamored I became with his deft skill at establishing setting, and his masterful way at defining characters with just a few scant lines. Chandler was a talented writer. I am very intrigued that his first crime short story was published when he was 45, and that his first novel was published when he was 51. He wrote other short stories before WWI, but it's his crime fiction he is most known for. He lived a long, hard life while observing the world around him before he turned those observations into genre defining stories.
Growing up, my tastes in fiction tended to sway towards fantasy and science fiction. I avoided crime noir perhaps because I was born in the 60s and felt this genre was old fashioned. I am glad that as an adult I have discovered his work and stepped outside my comfort zone. To think he was born in 1888 and almost half a century later became such a luminary in the pulp fiction industry. I find that rather inspiring.
This collection of stories is a great introduction to crime fiction, pulp fiction, and the type of story that has entertained Americans since the 1930's. The writing is deceptively simple, packing great details into short bursts of prose. Considering how literary fiction is often concerned with the art of the word, Chandler can teach new writers much because he focused on the art of the story first.
Apparently, earlier print editions of this book from the early 50s featured more short stories. I believe I will hunt for them, though, I imagine that they'll be priced accordingly as collectibles.
Growing up, my tastes in fiction tended to sway towards fantasy and science fiction. I avoided crime noir perhaps because I was born in the 60s and felt this genre was old fashioned. I am glad that as an adult I have discovered his work and stepped outside my comfort zone. To think he was born in 1888 and almost half a century later became such a luminary in the pulp fiction industry. I find that rather inspiring.
This collection of stories is a great introduction to crime fiction, pulp fiction, and the type of story that has entertained Americans since the 1930's. The writing is deceptively simple, packing great details into short bursts of prose. Considering how literary fiction is often concerned with the art of the word, Chandler can teach new writers much because he focused on the art of the story first.
Apparently, earlier print editions of this book from the early 50s featured more short stories. I believe I will hunt for them, though, I imagine that they'll be priced accordingly as collectibles.
pizzamcpin3ppl3's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
vladdbad's review
A little more challenging a translation than I was hoping for-- I am a native English speaker trying to improve my Spanish, and this wasn't a good choice for that. Perhaps Chandler's words are more lyrical and less simple than I realized, or maybe the translator is using a higher register than I am accustomed to, I couldn't say. But in the end I spent too much time struggling to understand and too little enjoying. In the original I loved it, but the translation is yet beyond me. Perhaps if I was a better student I could enjoy it more.
bdplume's review against another edition
4.0
I like the essay, but I was really only into two of the short stories. His writing style is impressive as always.