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Thursday, August 16, 2012

Dad on Literature

     I spent the afternoon with my parents, and brought up Riders of Death with my Father. He read my Amazon Review, decided he was not interested in being the recipient of said book, but looked up the author, Lee Floren. Turned out Lee has quite a library, of about 92 books (although some titles may be renamed from earlier books, such as "Cottonwood Pards" into "Riders of Death").

     While my Talk with Dad did not make me rethink my initial thoughts on the book, it did make me wonder if perhaps he was writing to an archetype, that if not exactly heroic, was what the publisher wanted. Riders of Death may have also been a first book, and may have been initially serialized in a Pulp Mag.

     I found some Additional Info on another Blog, which gave me some more thinking material.

     What I really wanted to post about though, was the wonderful Chat I had with Dad about some of his favorite Authors. I got to take home two Zane Greys, The Spirit of the Border and Shadow on the Trail, and we talked of Louis L'amour and my dads favorites by him.

     The sound you are hearing is me, Kicking myself for not flipping on the recorder

     We got into Erle Stanley Gardner, Rex Stout, Agatha Christie, and Tony Hillerman. we talked about how some characters, when written after the original author has passed away, should just be left alone, as no one ever quite gets them like their creator. I love conversations like that. Open, Honest, Full of info and 80+ years of perspective

     I want to do it again, soon, and can't wait to finish these books so we can discuss them

3 comments:

  1. I am so glad that you got to talk with your dad on this level. Your long-standing interest in literature probably came in your DNA from him! Do relish these times and foster them - it's good for you AND for him. He needs to know how special this son of his truly is.

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  2. "If perhaps he was writing to an archetype, that if not exactly heroic, was what the publisher wanted." In my travels this morning I had a lot of time and spent it thinking about this. I'm still not sure why the he** a publisher would want a hero who was an a**hole. Considering these were serials in the 1930's. . .

    The temperance movement has come a very long way. Maybe our view of what is acceptable 'hero' material in story has, too.

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