Difficult Lives: Jim Thompson-David Goodis-Chester Himes [Paperback]

James Sallis (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 99 pages
• Publisher: Gryphon Pubns; 1 ed edition (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936071354
• ISBN-13: 978-0936071350
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,125,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Polished and beautiful, and rare!, November 10, 1998

By 

JSR,MD (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Difficult Lives: Jim Thompson-David Goodis-Chester Himes (Paperback)

Sallis has written a beautiful concentrated gem of a book, no doubt hard to get by now. Unique and insightful, and really essential for anyone who wants to understand how and why these noir masters were able to create and produce what they did. If you are intrigued by any of them, don't miss it; and if you are as mesmerized by Jim Thompson as I am, you can't live without this jewel. (And don't even think about asking for my 'signed edition'...its staying with the first edition Thompson paperbacks that surround it.)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insights., September 18, 2004

By 

Michael G. "mikefromrochester" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Difficult Lives: Jim Thompson-David Goodis-Chester Hines (Paperback)

This short book is a collection of essays which explores the phenomenon of original paperback novels, with special attention paid to the lives and works of the three writers mentioned in the title.
James Sallis explains how each author's individual demons influenced his writing. And he demonstrates how each of the three used the medium of pulp fiction to create novels which shatter the reader's preconceived notions of reality while unapologetically exposing the ugly side of human existence.
For fans of noir literature, Difficult Lives is a worthwhile read.