About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press

ISBN-10022612181X

ISBN-139780226121819

eBay Product ID (ePID)17038289020

Product Key Features

Number of Pages256 Pages

Publication NameGetaway Car : a Donald Westlake Nonfiction Miscellany

LanguageEnglish

SubjectAuthorship, Mystery & Detective, Literary, American / General, Composition & Creative Writing

Publication Year2014

TypeTextbook

AuthorDonald E. Westlake

Subject AreaLiterary Criticism, Language Arts & Disciplines, Biography & Autobiography

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.1 in

Item Weight12.4 Oz

Item Length0.9 in

Item Width0.6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2014-003017

ReviewsThe great Donald E. Westlake, author of some of the best puzzles of the 20th century, turns out to have been a terrific essayist and correspondent, too. Reading this collection of nonfiction is like becoming friends with a mystery novelist., "Granted full access to Westlake's archives, Stahl has done a superb job of panning gold from Westlake's river of personal material. The Getaway Car inspires us to sit down with a bottle of Amsterdam Liquor Store Bourbon-"Our Own Brand"-to toast a genius and to count our blessings that we have one more chance to savor Westlake's words.In normal gold-panning, the trick is ferreting out enough tiny nuggets to make it worthwhile. But here, judiciousness is called for, knowing which nuggets to feature from the embarrassment of riches. Westlake's friend and fellow crime novelist Lawrence Block has written a loving foreword, praising Stahl for 'separating the best of the wheat from the rest of the wheat-Don didn't do chaff.' . . . The Getaway Car inspires us to sit down with a bottle of Amsterdam Liquor Store Bourbon-'Our Own Brand'-to toast a genius and to count our blessings that we have one more chance to savor Westlake's words.", Westlake kept a list of possible book titles, the last of which was Read Me . It would have been just the right one for this bright, witty book., This book doesn't disappoint. . . . Westlake was a hugely entertaining and witty writer. Whether he is writing a letter to his editor or about the history of his genre, he remains true to his definition of what makes a great writer: 'passion, plus craft.', 'The Getaway Car' may seem an odd title for a nonfiction miscellany, but it derives from a remark by Abby Adams Westlake. Her husband, she said, 'no matter where he was headed, always drove like he was behind the wheel of the getaway car.' That suggests something of the rush and exhilaration with which most readers will turn these pages., I discovered Donald Westlake as an angsty teenager, and his comic thrillers made my adolescence less angsty and more enjoyable. Thanks to this collection of his nonfiction, I can discover him all over again. And he is still making my life more enjoyable., Westlake was a treasure and a delight to read-the man was incapable of writing a paragraph without being witty and memorable and wise-and Westlake on Westlake is enjoyable in the extreme., A kind of posthumous autobiography, a selection of his occasional nonfiction that gives us a portrait of an interesting mind, a high-spirited friend, a shrewd critic, and a craftsman reflecting on his trade--and of a kind of writing life that may no longer be available. It should appeal not only to fans of Westlake but to anyone who takes pleasure in seeing a job done well or reading a well-turned sentence., Westlake was a storyteller of amazing inventiveness and range, of comic capers and noir thrillers, of manic romps and melancholy tales, of wacky adventures and clever conceits. His novels are set in the America he lived in. If you were to read widely in the Westlake oeuvre, you'd get a better education in the many complexities of American life than you would if you were to spend years studying for a Ph.D. in sociology or American studies. . . . But, more important, if you were to read widely in Westlake, you'd be endlessly entertained. You'll be similarly entertained by the The Getaway Car ,-its contents run from substantial essays and admiring portraits of predecessors like Rex Stout and James Thurber to amusing interviews and reflections on Westlake's own work., The late Donald Westlake was a virtuoso composer of caper novels, both comic and deadly serious. The Getaway Car proves he was also a gifted nonfiction writer. Who knew? This collection of essays, autobiographical notes, interview transcripts and whatnot is a wondrous look into Westlake's bemused head. One highlight is a dissection of what makes pulp fiction tick (Westlake himself spent years in the pulp trenches)., An absolute must-read for Westlake's legion of fans, this wonderful collection showcases the late mystery writer's nonfiction skills. . . . Westlake's writing here is as compelling, as seemingly effortlessly entertaining, as it is in his fiction. A great collection and a reminder of just how talented an author Westlake was., Stahl has done a superb job of . . . separating the best of the wheat from the rest of the wheat-Don didn't do chaff-and organizing and notating the result., I never met anyone who spoke about writing with greater wit or wisdom than Don Westlake. Reading these essays makes me feel as if, once again, he is talking to me, making me laugh as I learn., While nothing could be as precious as an undiscovered Westlake novel, this anthology comes very closebecause it finally gives us context, background details, a basis on which to really start to understand the man behind all those felonious plans, comic capers, and sometimes searing insights into human nature, and our perpetually confused understanding of ourselves., Almost as much as he enjoyed writing crime novels, Westlake liked to write comments on his own work and on that of his contemporaries and predecessors in the genre. His list of written product includes countless essays, book introductions and prefaces, lists, letters and one memorial (to John D. MacDonald). It's from this treasure trove of material that an eager beaver academic named Levi Stahl at the University of Chicago has put together the valuable collection he titles The Getaway Car ., Westlake is rightly celebrated for the quality of his writing; the sheer tonnage of plot, character, and dialogue he produced was impressive, yet it never outweighed his talent. In The Getaway Car , editor Levi Stahl has assembled a diverse set of letters, interviews, and other documents that reveal what Westlake himself thought of his work-the business of writing, the process, and the resulting product of his labor., A serious, hilarious, penetrating look at the process of writing and the soul of the person creating it. Westlake's analysis of genre fiction, especially crime fiction, is unmatched. Levi Stahl should win the Edgar for his magnificent work. A masterpiece., Many fans of crime fiction and capers consider Westlake among the best writers in the field. He published more than 100 books and received a Grand Master citation from the Mystery Writers of America. Those who love his work and such memorable characters as Parker, John Dortmunder and Sam Holt can now rejoice; collected here are essays, letters (one to Stephen King), interviews, an autobiographical fragment (in which he explains why being born in Brooklyn saved his infant life) and a recipe for John Dortmunder's companion May's tuna casserole. Some pieces have never been published before., This book doesn't disappoint. . . . Westlake was a hugely entertaining and witty writer. Whether he is writing a letter to his editor or about the history of his genre, he remains true to his definition of what makes a great writer: 'passion, plus craft.', This is a book for everyone, anyone who likes mystery novels or good writing or wit and passion and intelligence, regardless of their source., Is a posthumous collection of miscellaneous pieces (even one as smartly edited as this one) a good place to first encounter a writer known for his fiction? Normally I would say no, but in Westlake's case, there really is no wrong way to approach his work. It is after all his sensibility-funny, fatalistic, humane but never sappy and always a little off kilter-that gives his writing its flavor, and you can find that sensibility in these pages as surely as you can in the novels. Because ultimately Westlake was not this kind of writer, or that kind, not a crime writer, or a satirist, or a comedian. He was just a writer, and as good as they come.

Dewey Edition23

TitleLeadingThe

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal813/.54

Table Of ContentForeword by Lawrence Block Editor's Introduction 1 My Second Life: Fragments from an Autobiography 2 Donald E. Westlake, a.k.a. . . . Hearing Voices in My Head: Tucker Coe, Timothy J. Culver, Richard Stark and Donald E. Westlake Living with a Mystery Writer, by Abby Adams Writers on Writing: A Pseudonym Returns From an Alter-Ego Trip, With New Tales to Tell 3 So Tell Me about This Job We're Gonna Pull: On Genre The Hardboiled Dicks Introduction to Murderous Schemes Introduction to The Best American Mystery Stories, 2000 Don't Call Us, We'll Call You 4 Ten Most Wanted: Ten Favorite Mystery Books 5 Returning to the Scene of the Crime: On His Own Work Introduction to Levine Tangled Webs for Sale: Best Offer Introduction to Kahawa Light Hooked Letter to Howard B. Gotlieb, Boston University Libraries 6 Lunch Break: May's Famous Tuna Casserole 7 The Other Guys in the String: Peers, Favorites, and Influences Lawrence Block: First Sighting On Peter Rabe Playing Politics with a Master of Dialogue: On George V. Higgins On Rex Stout Introduction to Jack Ritchie's A New Leaf and Other Stories Foreword to Thurber on Crime Introduction to Charles Willeford's The Way We Die Now On Stephen Frears John D. MacDonald: A Remembrance 8 Coffee Break: Letter to Ray Broekel 9 Anything You Say May Be Used against You: Interviews An Inside Look at Donald Westlake, by Albert Nussbaum, 81332-132 The Worst Happens: From an Interview by Patrick McGilligan 10 Midnight Snack: Gustatory Notes from All Over 11 Side Jobs: Prison Breaks, Movie Mobsters, and Radio Comedy Break-Out Love Stuff, Cops-and-Robbers Style Send In the Goons 12 Signed Confessions: Letters To Judy ? To Peter Gruber To James Hale To Stephen and Tabitha King To Brian Garfield To David Ramus To Pam Vesey To Gary Salt To Henry Morrison To Jon L. Breen 13 Jobs Never Pulled: Title Ideas Crime Titles Comic Crime Titles 14 Death Row (Or, The Happily Ever Afterlife): Letter to Ralph L. Woods Acknowledgments Credits Name Index

SynopsisOver the course of a fifty-year career, Donald E. Westlake published nearly one hundred books, including not one but two long-running series, starring the hard-hitting Parker and the hapless John Dortmunder. In the six years since his death, Westlake's reputation has only grown, with fans continuing to marvel at his tightly constructed plots, no-nonsense prose, and keen, even unsettling, insights into human behavior. With The Getaway Car , we get our first glimpse of another side of Westlake the writer: what he did when he wasn't busy making stuff up. And it's fascinating. Setting previously published pieces, many little seen, alongside never-before-published material found in Westlake's working files, the book offers a clear picture of the man behind the books-including his thoughts on his own work and that of his peers, mentors, and influences. The book opens with revealing (and funny) fragments from an unpublished autobiography, then goes on to offer an extended history of private eye fiction, a conversation among Westlake's numerous pen names, letters to friends and colleagues, interviews, appreciations of fellow writers, and much, much more. There's even a recipe for Sloth à la Dortmunder. Really. Rounded out with a foreword by Westlake's longtime friend Lawrence Block, The Getaway Car is a fitting capstone to a storied career and a wonderful opportunity to revel anew in the voice and sensibility of a master craftsman., "This is a book for everyone, anyone who likes mystery novels or good writing or wit and passion and intelligence."--The New York Times Over the course of a fifty-year career, Donald E. Westlake published nearly one hundred books, including not one but two long-running series, starring the hard-hitting Parker and the hapless John Dortmunder. In the six years since his death, Westlake's reputation has only grown, with fans continuing to marvel at his tightly constructed plots, no-nonsense prose, and keen, even unsettling, insights into human behavior. With The Getaway Car , we get our first glimpse of another side of Westlake the writer: what he did when he wasn't busy making stuff up. And it's fascinating. Setting previously published pieces, many little seen, alongside never-before-published material found in Westlake's working files, the book offers a clear picture of the man behind the books--including his thoughts on his own work and that of his peers, mentors, and influences. The book opens with revealing (and funny) fragments from an unpublished autobiography, then goes on to offer an extended history of private eye fiction, a conversation among Westlake's numerous pen names, letters to friends and colleagues, interviews, appreciations of fellow writers, and much, much more. There's even a recipe for Sloth à la Dortmunder. Really. Rounded out with a foreword by Westlake's longtime friend Lawrence Block, The Getaway Car is a fitting capstone to a storied career and a wonderful opportunity to revel anew in the voice and sensibility of a master craftsman., Over the course of a fifty-year career, Donald E. Westlake published nearly one hundred books, including not one but two long-running series, starring the hard-hitting Parker and the hapless John Dortmunder. In the six years since his death, Westlake's reputation has only grown, with fans continuing to marvel at his tightly constructed plots, no-nonsense prose, and keen, even unsettling, insights into human behavior. With The Getaway Car , we get our first glimpse of another side of Westlake the writer: what he did when he wasn't busy making stuff up. And it's fascinating. Setting previously published pieces, many little seen, alongside never-before-published material found in Westlake's working files, the book offers a clear picture of the man behind the books--including his thoughts on his own work and that of his peers, mentors, and influences. The book opens with revealing (and funny) fragments from an unpublished autobiography, then goes on to offer an extended history of private eye fiction, a conversation among Westlake's numerous pen names, letters to friends and colleagues, interviews, appreciations of fellow writers, and much, much more. There's even a recipe for Sloth la Dortmunder. Really. Rounded out with a foreword by Westlake's longtime friend Lawrence Block, The Getaway Car is a fitting capstone to a storied career and a wonderful opportunity to revel anew in the voice and sensibility of a master craftsman., This anthology gathers the very best of Donald Westlake's nonfiction, including reviews, essays, letters, and interviews, plus a recipe for tuna casserole. Levi Stahl, aficionado of the novels Westlake wrote as Richard Stark, Tucker Coe, and Westlake, was given access to the writer's personal files and chose the most interesting bits, such as a memoir fragment on how Westlake taught himself to write. This is the only collection of nonfiction by the grand master of mystery, who wrote scores of crime novels from 1959 till he died in 2008. Lawrence Block has provided an amusing and revealing foreword.

LC Classification NumberPS3573.E9A6 2014