In this second of three installments, Robert B. Parker talks about his writing philosophy, some of his favorite and not-so-favorite authors, and the intellectual underpinnings of the American detective story.
Check out Part I of the interview here and Part III here.
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EB: Your stories are nearly effortless to read and some of the easiest fiction to take in and enjoy. Is that intentional? How much effort do you put into the language and the story and as it flows and moves along?
RBP: Well, it’s all effortful and yet it’s all intuitive. I both know and don’t know what I’m doing. Well, I know a hell of a lot about what I do. I’ve been doing it for thirty-something years, I’ve written fifty-something books. I know exactly what I’m doing and I don’t have a clue about what I’m doing. It’s both, and I don’t know how to amplify that, but it’s both at the same time.
I want it to sound right. Even though I don’t write music, it seems to me more like writing music than anything else. It’s got to sound right in my head, you know? And if the language sounds right and the story sounds right and the people sound right… You know, you don’t have to be able to write music to know when it’s off-key.
There is almost no effort in the sense that I have no plan. If I had a rule of thumb it would be the most meaning with the fewest words. When in doubt, use a simple declarative sentence, which seems right to me. I’m certainly not the first guy to think of that.
EB: Strunk and White, in the Elements of Style, said, “Omit needless words.”
RBP: Yeah, exactly right. And Ernest Hemingway did some of that, and so did [Dashiell] Hammett.
EB: This is a bit of a leading question, but Spenser’s obviously one of the more literate and literary PIs out there. Does it ever bother you to be placed in the “genre” category as opposed to more literary authors and the place that puts you among other popular authors?
RBP: Nah, I don’t give a shit. It used to bother [Raymond] Chandler. Chandler used to complain about it. He used to say the average detective story is no worse than the average “straight novel” except that the average straight novel doesn’t get published. But no, I don’t care about that critics stuff. I don’t read reviews. Wherever this appears, I won’t read it – nothing personal.
Article comments
1 - randall
I just finished "Double Play";beautiful,words fail me. He writes better all the time. Lets hope he lives a long time yet.
2 - Eric Berlin
I couldn't agree more randall, thanks!
3 - James Reid
Mr. Parker: I have read just about everything you have ever written. In my next reincarnation, I want to come back as Spenser, who is to my mind a perfect human being. However, I was mildly disappointed in the ending of "Appaloosa." Neither of the two heros shows any interest in how Bragg got his money or pardon, which seems unrealistic. Also, the final showdown with Bragg and Everett had little emotional impact on me since I no longer hated Bragg as much. The end left me unsatisfied.
4 - Chuck
In the interview, Parker comments that he does not have the talent to have written "The Great Gatsby." Fair enough, but could Fitzgerald, or anyone else one could name, have the talent to have written both "Double Play" and "Appaloosa"? Parker's range, particularly in the context of "voice," is far wider than his critics give him credit for, which is easily seen when his dialogue is compared with, say, Elmore Leonard's. The one thing I would like Parker to come up with before, well, let's just say too much longer, is a truly killer premise that would result in the creation of his masterpiece.
5 - Eric Berlin
Very interesting Chuck, thanks!