Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Short Story Wednesday; "I'll Be Waiting" Raymond Chandler

Supposedly Chandler did not much like this story himself and regarded it as inauthentic, a story written for Saturday Evening Post rather than one of the pulps he usually favored. It has all of the elements of a typical pulp crime story: a house dick, a femme fatale, the man she is waiting for, the man who is waiting for him. But a heck of a lot of the story spends its time describing the hotel--in fact, we know more about the hotel than we do about any of the characters. Perhaps you need to read more of this sort of story to get it. I  have to admit though, I could draw a picture of that hotel from lobby, to bar, to elevator, to penthouses.  If I could draw, that is.

In their anthology of hardboiled fiction, editors Bill Pronzini and Jack Adrian regard the story as “a superbly atmospheric night-piece” and respond, “Chandler was a perceptive critic of others’ work, although less so of his own.” Indeed, still frequently included in anthologies, the story today is considered by many readers and critics as among his best and most polished (with a superb twist ending), and it has even been adapted for film twice, most recently in 1993 as an episode of Showtime’s Fallen Angels directed by Tom Hanks. 

From the website Story of the Week, Library of Congress, 

Kevin Tipple 

Jerry House 

Todd Mason

13 comments:

Margot Kinberg said...

This is an atmospheric story, Patti, and you're right; it's not like Chandler's other stories. The hotel is, to me, pretty much the main character in the story, which doesn't usually happen in the stories I typically read. Interesting Chandler chose to do the story that way...

pattinase (abbott) said...

A good exercise in how to use setting as a character, Margot.

George said...

I keep meaning to read the LIBRARY OF AMERICA volume of Raymond Chandler's short stories. Maybe in 2022...

Jeff Meyerson said...

Yeah, like George I mean to reread Chandler's short stories...one of these days. But more and more collections keep turning up here, or in the library, or for cheap Kindle purchase, or...

You get the picture.

I read but did not much care for Helene Tursten's second collection, AN ELDERLY LADY MUST NOT BE CROSSED. The first was so much better. I did enjoy Marly Swick's MONOGAMY (original hardback title was A HOLE INT HE LANGUAGE; both are stories in the collection). This was her first collection of stories. I'm also reading Octavus Roy Cohen's collection JIM HANVEY, DETECTIVE. Hanvey appears to be a hickish, bloated, sloppy Southern yokel, who nevertheless has a reputation as a very sharp PI. This was originally published in 1923. I'd picture Andy Griffith at his most bucolic, but with a sharp mind. What is bizarre to me, even though I've never seen either, is that there were two movie adaptations of his books with Hanvey as the main character. Now picture him as I described the character. Got it? OK, the movies' stars were first, C. Aubrey Smith of all people, and second, Guy Kibbee. Bizarre, to say the least.

In the longest piece in Ann Patchett's book of essays (THESE PRECIOUS DAYS), she recommends Tom Hanks's book of short stories, UNCOMMON TYPE, so I downloaded that from the library too.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I have Marly Swick's The Summer Before the Summer of Love, which I really enjoyed.

Rick Robinson said...

I like Chandler’s “Red Wind” better than this story, but any Chandler is good.

Todd Mason said...

Got one for you today...
https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2018/08/ffb-supernatural-reader-edited-by-lucy.html

I, too, should reread Chandler...I think I might be in a minority which thinks Hammett definitely the better artist (and that Evan Hunter fervently agreed with me and more, makes me wonder a bit if I've been unfair)...adding the LoC daily story is a good idea...I hope Frank Babics hasn't dropped out indefinitely..

Jeff Meyerson said...

Todd, I am definitely in the Hammett over Chandler group.

Todd Mason said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Todd Mason said...

It is surprising to me how many seem to be in the Chandler ahead of Hammett camp...and I wondered, but didn't check till now, if that was the Library of America daily item...also a good idea...I was adding them to FFB+...

TracyK said...

I will definitely go and read that story, Patti. I have that Hard-Boiled anthology edited by Bill Pronzini and Jack Adrian. I have never read any of his stories, although I remember a post at Rick's blog about Chandler's short stories.

Rajani Rehana said...

Beautiful blog

Rajani Rehana said...

Please read my post