Tribute to Lawrence Block
In 2005 Lawrence Block was given the Gumshoe Award for Lifetime Achievement.
I first “met” Lawrence Block thirteen years ago. I was new to the mystery genre and still discovering authors and developing my taste for the different types of stories. With Art Bourgeau’s invaluable The Mystery Lover’s Companion (Crown, 1986) at hand, I was reading my way through the genre, trying on different writers like my wife tries on shoes.
On one of my trips to the bookstore, I picked up a paperback copy of A Dance at the Slaughterhouse. Bourgeau had highly recommended Block and I was discovering that I liked detective novels, so this seemed like a natural choice. And was it ever.
From the very start, I was blown away. Here was an author who seemed to be writing specifically for me. The plot was dark and suspenseful; the prose was razor sharp, the dialogue crisp and precise. And the characters…Oh, those characters! Mick Ballou, T.J., Jim Grogan, Elaine and all the rest; multi-dimensional, expertly-crafted players who seemed ripped, not from the pages of a book, but from life itself.
I had never read a detective like Matt Scudder before. Deep, dark, conflicted and ever so real, Scudder was the protagonist from our dreams, a mythic archetype who never descended into the mundane world of parody or cliché. He was tough and smart and tenacious, the kind of man you’d want working on the case if you ever really needed a detective.
I began buying all the Block books I could get my hands on. From the exquisite darkness of the Scudder series, to the light irreverence of Bernie Rhodenbarr (The Burglar Who… series), the violent nonchalance of hit man Keller to the action-packed romps of the oversexed, sleepless spy Tanner, I read them all.
Block has created more original and entertaining series than just about any other writer in the genre. His ability to write compelling stories in widely varying styles is one of his defining characteristics. Put a group of Block fans together and they’ll never agree on which series is their favorite; they all have their supporters. (As you’ve probably gathered, I’m a Scudder partisan, but I nevertheless love them all.)
It takes a special talent to make a living in this crazy business for over forty years, which is exactly what Block has done. His is a master craftsman, bringing a keen eye and a sharp pen to his stories which are both compulsively readable and infinitely wise.
Block is a kind, witty and gentle man who writes about the worst of humanity with the insight of the most astute observers of the human condition. His prose is spare yet evocative, his plots taut and gripping. For a writer who deals in familiar areas (private eye, hit man, etc.), his stories are always fresh, original and unique.
Readers who have already had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of his coterie of characters know the hours of reading delight to be found in his books. Those who haven’t yet had the opportunity are in for a real treat.
Whether you select When the Sacred Ginmill Closes, Burglars Can't Be Choosers, Hit Man, Small Town, or any of the dozens of other books that have graced his long career, I have but two words for you: Start now.
Mystery Ink is proud to award Lawrence Block the Gumshoe Award for Lifetime Achievement. He is among the finest writers that literature has to offer, and there is no one that deserves it more.
Posted by David J. Montgomery in Awards | Permalink
Comments
I have enjoyed the "Burglar" so much, I am also looking forward to the other series. All the reasons given for his given this award are well said.
Posted by: Rosemary Arellano | Mar 29, 2005 5:13:30 PM
I am a71 y o physician,raised well but poor. books have saved my life...Im also a friend of Bill W...I love ALL L.B.'s Works..especially the ones on writing! I finally put Butt to Chair..just finished the second chapter of the great American novel :) L B IS THE BEST I have had a wonderful life, but no moment has been any more fulfilling than now...and I almost gave up and wrote letters to the Editor.
Posted by: Joe McPike | Mar 30, 2005 11:56:22 PM
While cleaning out closets at Granny's I found 50 A Hitchcock Mystery Mags...L B and Matt Scudder were in there...from the 1960's ere
Posted by: Joe McPike | Mar 30, 2005 11:59:24 PM
