A GOOD STORY AND OTHER STORIES

by John M. Floyd

The title of my column today is actually the title of a collection of short stories by Donald Westlake. But it should probably have been called “A Good Story and Other Good Stories.” All of his were.

I recently saw a DVD interview with Mr. Westlake, and learned some things about him that I hadn’t known before.

The Westlake file

First, a few things many of you already know: Donald Edwin Westlake was primarily a writer of crime fiction (he occasionally did sci-fi and other genres as well), and won Edgars in three different categories: best short story, best novel, and best screenplay. He was also awarded Grand Master status by MWA. Westlake used more than a dozen different pen names, he was probably best known for his comic caper novels, and he lived to see much of his work adapted to the big screen.

Some of his fiction reminds me a bit of some of Lawrence Block’s, but maybe that’s because of his humor and certain aspects of his writing style. I think it says something about Westlake’s talent that I’m able to so enjoy books about a hilarious character like John Dortmunder while also enjoying books about a gritty killer called Parker, who is Dortmunder’s polar opposite. (I feel the same way about Bernie Rhodenbarr and Matthew Scudder.)

A conversation with the master

In watching the interview, I learned that Westlake took the sometimes-pseudonym Richard Stark for a reason. He was doing a hardcover book a year for Random House, using his own name, and said he’d heard that at that time more women bought hardbacks while more men bought paperbacks. Because of this, he decided to do some “tough” fiction that would appeal more to men, and to do those as paperback originals. He said he wanted the language to be lean and tight, with almost no adverbs, and as a result he chose the last name of Stark. The first name came from one of his favorite movie actors, Richard Widmark.

Westlake (as Stark) then chose a rather plain name for his hero — Parker. No first name, just Parker, like Spenser. He said he later wished he hadn’t picked that name, for one silly-sounding but very real reason: he always had to be careful not to write “Parker parked the car.” (The name Dortmunder is said to have come from a neon sign advertising a German beer, “Dortmunder Actien Bier.”)

He revealed that at the time of the interview — 2005 — more movie adaptations had been done of his Stark novels than of his Westlake novels, and said he was pleased with most of them. He felt that Robert Duvall did the best performance of the Parker role, in a movie called The Outfit (1973) — although in the film the character’s name was Macklin. Personally, I thought Mel Gibson did an interesting job as well, in “Payback” (1999), one of two adaptations of the Stark novel The Hunter. The other film made from that book was John Boorman’s Point Blank (1967), with Lee Marvin — also a good movie. (In Point Blank Marvin was named Walker rather than Parker; one wonders why so many such name changes are necessary in some of these adaptations.)

The interview I saw was one of those “bonus features” often found on DVDs; this one was included with the original director’s cut of Payback. And even though, as I’ve said, I enjoyed the film, I enjoyed the interview even more. I love hearing an author talk about his or her own work and writing habits, whether it’s at a signing or on my TV at home. Especially an author I admire.

Memories

Unlike some of my Criminal Brief colleagues, I never got the chance to meet and chat with Mr. Westlake. I wish I had. I would certainly have thanked him for some of the best crime fiction I’ve ever read.

My favorite Westlake novels are probably The Ax, Nobody’s Perfect, Money for Nothing, The Hot Rock, and Smoke — but I liked them all. His short stories as well.

I sometimes wonder if we will ever again have enough quality mystery writers to fill the shoes of those we’ve lost in only the past few years and months. One can only hope. . . .