Chandler on Cain: “Proust in greasy overalls”
“RAYMOND CHANDLER ” LOS ANGELES TIMES
Raymond Chandler wrote his publisher Alfred Knopf in February 1943:
“I hope the day will come when I don’t have to ride around on Hammett and James Cain, like an organ grinder’s monkey. Hammett is all right. I give him everything. There were a lot of things he could not do, but what he did he did superbly. But James Cain—faugh! Everything he touches smells like a billygoat. He is every kind of writer I detest, a faux naif, a Proust in greasy overalls, a dirty little boy with a piece of chalk and a board fence and nobody looking. Such people are the offal of literature, not because they write about dirty things but because they do it in a dirty way.” – Frank MacShane, The Life of Raymond Chandler, 1978, p101)
Hi! Tony,
I read this short piece yesterday and all I can say is…
Wow…What a story and what a comment by Raymond Chandler I wish that I could share this article on my book blog (Because I ‘am featuring his book The Big Sleep on my bookstore widget) on my blog and link back to you…wishful thinking right?!?…Upon laying eyes on author Raymond Chandler, for the first time I always thought looked like a sourpuss and unfortunately, this comment almost confirmed my suspicion about author Raymond Chandler.
Director Alfred Hitchcock, even parted company with him while filming the 1951 film Strangers on a Train. Due, to the fact, that he insulted Hitchcock, by referring to his weight in a negative manner. (Which as all Hitchcock’s fan know was most definitely, a no, no… Unless of course, you wanted to incur Alfred Hitchcock’s wrath.)
By the way, I will place this book on my book blog shelf too– Frank MacShane, The Life of Raymond Chandler, 1978.
Thanks, for sharing!
Comment by DeeDee — February 1, 2010 @ 8:41 am
Those are pretty damning disclaimers there from Chandler, dismissing the man who wrote DOUBLE INDEMNITY, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE and MILDRED PIERCE. Chandler cries foul here, but I wonder if he were alive today he’d stand by his uncompromising position. Cain obviously favors deceit and treachery – that’s clear enough – but there’s nothing dubious about his presentation. But Chandler is the top guy, I won’t deny that.
Comment by Sam Juliano — February 1, 2010 @ 12:04 pm
[...] Tony d’Ambra has been cooking up quite a diverse series of goodies at ‘Films Noir.net’, the latest an amusing dismissal of celebrated noir author James cain by none other than Raymond Chandler himself: http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/chandler-on-cain-proust-in-greasy-overalls.html [...]
Pingback by Monday Morning Diary (February 1) « Wonders in the Dark — February 1, 2010 @ 3:34 pm
DeeDee, Hitchcock did give Chandler a hard time.
Comment by Tony D'Ambra — February 1, 2010 @ 8:17 pm