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A Mysterious Something In The Light Raymond Chandler, A LifeStock informationGeneral Fields
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DescriptionA major new biography of the writer who, more than any other, has defined modern crime fiction What we know of Raymond Chandler is shrouded in secrets and half-truths as deceptive as anything in his magisterial novel The Long Goodbye. Now, drawing on new interviews, previously unpublished letters and archives on both sides of the Atlantic, literary gumshoe Tom Williams casts light on this most mysterious of writers. The Raymond Chandler revealed is a man troubled by loneliness and desertion from an early age - experiences that fuelled his writing as much as they scarred his life. Born in Chicago in 1888, his childhood was overshadowed by the cruel collapse of his parents' marriage, his father's alcohol-fuelled violence eventually forcing the boy and his doting mother to leave for Ireland, and later London. As a young man, eager to forge a new life unconstrained by the stuffy English class system, he returned to the US, where - in corruption-ridden Los Angeles - he met his one great love: Cissy Pascal, a married woman 18 years his senior. Reviews'Packed, insightful, entertaining' -- Marcel Berlins The Times 'Thorough new biography' Daily Telegraph 'Absorbing...there's so much here that's interesting and poignant... his story is sad beyond words.' -- Sam Leith The Spectator Chandler has been the subject of three earlier biographies. Tom William does not trouble us with any startingly new conclusions, but his treatment is unfussy and shows how Chandler's "troubled childhood, his complicated family relationships, his profound awkwardness about sex and women and his battle with alcohol all variously frustrated, coloured and fuelled his writing" Daily Express fascinating, new biography Daily Mail Outstanding debut biography Sunday Times Precise, kind and necessary Scotland on Sunday This is a thoroughly enjoyable read which blends Chandler's life with history keeping it lively and entertaining We Love This Book packed, insightful, entertaining biography The Times A thoroughly enjoyable read which blends Chandler's life with history, keeping it lively and entertaining We Love This Book |