A major new biography of the writer who, more than any other, has defined modern crime fiction
What we know of Raymond Chandler is shrouded in secrets and half-truths as deceptive as anything in his magisterial novel The Long Goodbye. Now, drawing on new interviews, previously unpublished letters and archives on both sides of the Atlantic, literary gumshoe Tom Williams casts light on this most mysterious of writers.
The Raymond Chandler revealed is a man troubled by loneliness and desertion from an early age – experiences that fuelled his writing as much as they scarred his life. Born in Chicago in 1888, his childhood was overshadowed by the cruel collapse of his parents’ marriage, his father’s alcohol-fuelled violence eventually forcing the boy and his doting mother to leave for Ireland, and later London. As a young man, eager to forge a new life unconstrained by the stuffy English class system, he returned to the US, where – in corruption-ridden Los Angeles – he met his one great love: Cissy Pascal, a married woman 18 years his senior.
It was only during middle age, after his own alcoholism wrecked a lucrative career as an oilman, that Chandler seriously turned to crime fiction, although his success was to prove bittersweet. An obsessive attitude towards his craft, unrealised literary ambitions and a suicidal turn after Cissy’s death combined to prevent him from recapturing the verve of his earlier writing. However, his legacy – the lonely, ambiguous world of Philip Marlowe – endures, compelling generation after generation of crime writers to go down mean streets.
In this long-awaited new biography, the most thorough and comprehensive yet written, Tom Williams shadows one of the twentieth century’s true literary giants and considers how crime was raised to the level of art.
A Mysterious Something in the Light
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'This biography is the best all-round portrayal of the troubled California writer.'
(The Rap Sheet )'A lucid and taut examination of the first "hard boiled" writer to turn populist pulp writing into a more erudite art form.'
(Sunday Express )'Tom William's is the third and best biographer of Chandler'
(Irish Independent )'Williams does not flinch from describing him subject's faults but he lets his enthusiasm for the books shine through...he knows the value of letting Chandler speak for himself.'
(Weekly Telegraph )'Outstanding biography of the creator of Philip Marlowe'
(The Sunday Times )'Williams's biography reminds us that as a man he was a psychological mess, but as a writer he remains an enchanter.'
(Michael Dirda, TLS )'The most comprehensive biography of Chandler written to date'
(Western Morning News )'Tom William's biography helps us to understand a complicated and dislikeable man'
(The Oldie )‘Absorbing new biography’
(Spectator )‘Thorough new biography’
(Daily Telegraph )'Tom Williams creates a portrait of an author as mysterious and troubled as any fictional character, and provides a fascinating new insight into a rare and exacting genius, in this impressive piece of literary detective work.'
(Good Book Guide )About the Author
Tom Williams was born in Newcastle in 1981 and was educated at University College London. He now lives in Kentish Town and works in publishing. A Mysterious Something in the Light is his first book. Follow him on twitter: @twilliams81
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Mapp08
Format:Hardcover
Raymond Chandler is most famous for his "hard-boiled" crime novels set in Los Angeles in the mid-20th Century. Whether he was comfortable with this legacy is a frequent topic covered in Tom Williams' new biography.
Williams paints a vivid and human portrait of an incredibly skilled artist who comes across at times as a painfully flawed individual. Linking Chandler's life and works to his familial upbringing, Williams shows how witnessing domestic violence led Chandler down the path to creating the detective Philip Marlowe, a knight-like figure in a corrupt world. He makes a bold claim, which he backs up with convincing evidence, that Chandler's writings were directly influenced by his alcoholic father.
It is clear that Williams is a fan of Chandler and the analysis of Chandler's use of language is a joy to read. He may share Chandler's regret that he was restricted to crime fiction writing, but it is obvious that Williams regards Chandler's output as much more than mere crime fiction and places it amongst the best literature of the 20th Century. Williams is succesful in showing why this should be the case, and his enthusiasm aids this approach.
However, Williams always remains objective in his description of Chandler as a man and never shys from pointing out Chandler's at times rude behaviour, nor the destructive alcoholism that affected Raymond Chandler's own life and marriage.
The writing is sharp and to the point and, by quoting from Chandler's own letters, Williams brings to life this complex and intriguing man.
Williams paints a vivid and human portrait of an incredibly skilled artist who comes across at times as a painfully flawed individual. Linking Chandler's life and works to his familial upbringing, Williams shows how witnessing domestic violence led Chandler down the path to creating the detective Philip Marlowe, a knight-like figure in a corrupt world. He makes a bold claim, which he backs up with convincing evidence, that Chandler's writings were directly influenced by his alcoholic father.
It is clear that Williams is a fan of Chandler and the analysis of Chandler's use of language is a joy to read. He may share Chandler's regret that he was restricted to crime fiction writing, but it is obvious that Williams regards Chandler's output as much more than mere crime fiction and places it amongst the best literature of the 20th Century. Williams is succesful in showing why this should be the case, and his enthusiasm aids this approach.
However, Williams always remains objective in his description of Chandler as a man and never shys from pointing out Chandler's at times rude behaviour, nor the destructive alcoholism that affected Raymond Chandler's own life and marriage.
The writing is sharp and to the point and, by quoting from Chandler's own letters, Williams brings to life this complex and intriguing man.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Clive A. H. Still
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Like all the most interesting biographical subjects, Raymond Chandler was a complex personality. He was brought up in a household where his alcoholic father routinely abused his adored mother and their only escape was flight to Ireland where his mother's family lived. According to Tom Williams, it was during these unhappy childhood years that Raymond Chandler first became attracted to the persona of the 'parfait gentil knight'. Subsequent education at the public school, Dulwich, re-inforced his attitude of chivalry and there seems no doubt that these early influences were a major factor in forming his famous private eye, Phillip Marlowe.
Returning as a young man to America, Chandler ended up in Los Angeles, married to Cissie, who had originally been his mother's friend and was eighteen years older than himself. This book takes us through his entire life, his first attempts at breaking into the hard-boiled, short story market,creating a new type of detective tale, subsequent desire to branch into a more literary field and profitable, though not happy, collaboration with Hollywood. Addicted to alcohol, though able on occasion to reduce his drinking to manageable proportions and devoted to his wife, this is a picture of a belligerent, striving man who never accepted what an outstanding legacy he had left the English speaking world.
There are arguably too many possiblies and probablies littering the text but this is a fine biography which should lead new readers to Chandler's highly accomplished canon.
Returning as a young man to America, Chandler ended up in Los Angeles, married to Cissie, who had originally been his mother's friend and was eighteen years older than himself. This book takes us through his entire life, his first attempts at breaking into the hard-boiled, short story market,creating a new type of detective tale, subsequent desire to branch into a more literary field and profitable, though not happy, collaboration with Hollywood. Addicted to alcohol, though able on occasion to reduce his drinking to manageable proportions and devoted to his wife, this is a picture of a belligerent, striving man who never accepted what an outstanding legacy he had left the English speaking world.
There are arguably too many possiblies and probablies littering the text but this is a fine biography which should lead new readers to Chandler's highly accomplished canon.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This biography covers ground already ploughed by others. The first goal of the book must be to make the case for another biography. This Williams achieves with ease and with much to spare. Chandler of course is a facinating figure and a writer of real importance. Existing known material is presented with a fresh eye, keen insight and balanced evaluation. And there has been additional rigorous research, which learning the author wears very lightly. The book is beautifully written and presented. It is a compelling read and as such is worthy of its distinguished subject. This must surely become the definitive Raymond Chandler biography for many years to come. My only cavil was in the illustrations. A number of the pictures are very familiar from earlier works. There are few new finds here and very few photgraphs altogether. Surely there must be more material on Chandler and his circle? However this is a very small reservation. The book is a triumph. It will delight Chandler fans and inspire others to become better acquainted with the classic detective stories and crisp screenplays of this influential writer.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Very disappointing
Having just discovered Raymond Chandler's books, I thought this might be an interesting read. About a third through it, I found myself skip-reading large sections of text,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Bookworm
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant life of a complex man
I was so engrossed by this book that I suffered the pain of reading a heavy hardback on the bus. Everything you wanted to know about Raymond Chandler, including a lot about his... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ms. L. R. Fisher
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tom Williams on Raymond Chandler
Tom Williams (b1981)in his excellent biography of Raymond Chandler has not been trapped into relying solely on the literary aspect of 'noirness' - which is commonly attributed to... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Dawn
1.0 out of 5 stars
Why Bother?
It is not so much that I hate it; more a case of I have no understanding why such a book was commissioned; and why, after the manuscript was submitted, a publisher deemed it worthy... Read more
Published 9 months ago by jennifer12
5.0 out of 5 stars
diligent and dogged?
I read a review of this biography in a leading newspaper yesterday. It was described, after a precis of the reviewer's own opinions about Chandler, as 'diligent and dogged'. Read more
Published 9 months ago by gabriel mendoza
5.0 out of 5 stars
A splendid read
I have just finished reading Tom Williams'book,Raymond Chandler.A Mysterious Something in the Light and couldn't put it down. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Sarah Parker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who is Raymond chandler?!
'Who's Raymond chandler?'-- my immediate thought when I first saw this book, and after conversing with most of my fellow semi literate friends we couldn't work out who he was... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Comfortably numb
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thoroughly absorbing
I previously had little interest in Raymond Chandler but was persuaded to buy a copy of this biography having read a glowing review in the Sunday Times. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Tony_Kettle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Bio on a Great Author
I've never read a biography before but was a huge fan of Raymond Chandler and all his books so when I was recommended this by a friend I thought I'd give it a go. Read more
Published 9 months ago by E. W
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rich and Insightful Bio of Chandler
As a huge fan of Raymond Chandler I have read a number of his previous biographies and was thus very excited to see what Tom Williams had to offer in his debut: A Mysterious... Read more
Published 9 months ago by L. Pearson
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