Lawrence Block - Rhodenbarr 2004 - Burglar on the Prowl
Page 31
I don't know that New York is particularly an ideal canvas for crime writers as opposed to fiction writers in general, except insofar as the city has an extraordinary intensity. This may be true of the largest city in any country, but it's certainly true of New York. Things happen rapidly; they happen vividly; and the energy of the city, it seems to me, tends to inform the fiction written about it. It's an extraordinarily rich place and one finds people of all sorts here, including some who I'm sure would remind you of people you've encountered in fiction.
New Yorkers in the main don't notice this-one of the most extraordinary things is the extent to which passers-by take no notice of the human dramas which play out right in front of them. I remember one time about fifteen or twenty years ago I was walking down a street in Greenwich Village and a Sikh in full military regalia, wearing a sword and about six-feet-eight tall, was striding down the street. And what was remarkable, even more remarkable than the man's presence, was that no one took a second look at him!
About the Author
Lawrence Block is a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and a multiple winner of the Edgar, Shamus, and Maltese Falcon awards. His fifty-plus books include the fifteen Matthew Scudder novels, all of which are available as e-books from HarperCollins-along with two Keller volumes,Hit List andHit Man ; the Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries,Burglars Can't Be Choosers andThe Burglar on the Prowl ;Enough Rope , a collection of Mr. Block's classic short stories; andSmall Town , a novel of New York. Please visit www.lawrenceblock.com.
The End