Posted on 03/04/2022 2:36:19 PM PST by nickcarraway
Author Gregory Galloway and Jim Fishman will discuss crime fiction of the 30s and 40s, as well as Galloway’s newly published noir crime novel, “Just Thieves” at 5 p.m. Feb. 12 on Zoom, in a program offered by the Cornwall Library.
According to Galloway, “Just Thieves” centers around two recovering addicts who view themselves as “thieves for hire”, robbing houses to take specific objects for a mysterious boss. The specificity of the stolen items ultimately suggests that humans are at the mercy of our desire for ownership. Employing a classic noir theme, Galloway has the protagonists take to heart the idea of fate versus free will; they think they have everything figured out but are consistently revealed as not really able to control anything. They also function on the belief that people look at the world but they don't really see it. Influenced by classic noir writers such as Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Dorothy B. Hughes, Cornell Woolrich and others,
“Just Thieves” “takes American noir, shaped by the Great Depression and the 1940s, and hauls it into the 21st century,” as one reviewer wrote.
Even if you are not normally a reader of crime fiction or mysteries, this will be a very interesting discussion because of the philosophical touchstones that the genre employs to discuss greater themes in life, society, and human psychology, according to the library.
Galloway is the author of the Alex Award-winning novel, “As Simple As Snow, The 39 Deaths of Adam Strand,” and the short story collection, “Careful & Other Stories.” “Just Thieves” was published in October 2021. Galloway earned his M.A. from the University of Iowa, and his M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
Fishman is a Professor of Law Emeritus at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. He received bachelor’s and master's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and J.D. and Ph.D. degrees from New York University. He has been the executive director of two nonprofit organizations, the Council of New York Law Associates, since renamed The Lawyers Alliance for New York, and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. He is a self-described “addict” of detective fiction, and has lectured on the history of the genre.
Registration required’ go to https://cornwalllibrary.org/events/ to sign up and receive the Zoom link.
If you download the radio.garden app, there’s a station livestreaming in Long Beach that has old crime mystery shows non-stop.
Instant insomnia killer.
Oh, man; I read that kind of stuff when I was younger (and still pick up a good “crime noir” from that area when I’m in the mood): Hammett; Chandler; Christie; Stout; Ambler; et als.
I wish someone would put all the old EQ Mystery, Hitchcock, and the sci-fi (Asimov’s?) magazines online.
Those were really great!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.