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- Love Me Fierce In Danger
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Description
WINNER OF 2024 EDGAR ALLAN POE AWARD (BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL BOOK)
THE TELEGRAPH'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
SHORTLISTED FOR THE H.R.F KEATING AWARD FOR BEST BIOGRAPHICAL/CRITICAL BOOK
ANTHONY AWARD BEST CRITICAL/NONFICTION WORK NOMINEE
"As gripping and twisted as a James Ellroy novel." - Ian Rankin
"A masterpiece of literary biography." - David Peace
The first critical biography of a titan of American crime fiction.
Love Me Fierce In Danger is the story of James Ellroy, one of the most provocative and singular figures in American literature. The so-called “Demon Dog of Crime Fiction,” Ellroy enjoys a celebrity status and notoriety that few authors can match. However, traumas from the past have shadowed his literary success.
When Ellroy was ten years old, his mother was brutally murdered. The crime went unsolved, and her death marked the start of a long and turbulent road for Ellroy that has included struggles with alcoholism, drug addiction, homelessness, and jail time. In tracing his life and career, Steven Powell reveals how Ellroy's upbringing in LA, always on the periphery of Hollywood, had a profound and dark influence on his work as a novelist. Using new sources, Powell also uncovers Ellroy's family secrets, including the mysterious first marriage of his mother Jean Ellroy, eighteen years before her murder. At its heart, Love Me Fierce in Danger is the story of how Ellroy overcame his demons to become the bestselling and celebrated author of such classics as The Black Dahlia and LA Confidential.
Informed by interviews with friends, family, peers, and literary and Hollywood collaborators, as well as extensive conversations with Ellroy himself, Love Me Fierce In Danger pulls back the curtain on an enigmatic figure who has courted acclaim and controversy with equal zealotry.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
James Ellroy Bibliography: List of Key Works
1. In the Shadow of Hollywood - Los Angeles (1948-1958)
2. Murder in El Monte (1958-1965)
3. Down and Out in the City of Angels (1965-1975)
4. Debris by the Sea (1975-1981)
5. The Road to the Dahlia (1981-1985)
6. Sweet Smell of Success (1986-1990)
7. Enter the Borzoi (1990-1993)
8. On the Trail of Swarthy Man (1993-1995)
9. Demon Dog of American Crime Fiction (1995-2000)
10. The Crack-Up (2000-2006)
11. Chasing It: Ellroy's Return to LA (2005-2009)
12. The Big Hurt (2009-2015)
13. Sanctuary (Denver 2016-2020)
Notes
Works Cited
Index
Product details
| Published | 12 Jan 2023 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 352 |
| ISBN | 9781501367328 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 20 bw illus |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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Here is 'the skinny' (as the subject himself might put it) on one of the most charismatic and complex crime writers on the planet, affording insights into both the man and his craft. It's every bit as gripping and twisted as a James Ellroy novel. Dig it, cats.
Ian Rankin
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Powell brings out the conflicting sides of Ellroy's personality tactfully and sympathetically - without ever taking his eye off the truth … [It] has all the pace, twists and shocks of a good crime novel.
Mark Sanderson, The Times
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A highly enjoyable read … shrewd in its critiques of the work and jargon-free – an academic biography in the best sense. I suspect it will spoil the genre of literary biography for me for a while: can the life of any other living writer be anywhere near as horribly gripping?
Jake Kerridge, The Daily Telegraph
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Steven Powell's brilliant, unflinching biography reveals how the novelist's obsessions have their roots in the extraordinary experiences of his childhood and early years … Powell scrupulously chronicles Ellroy's hectic career: his compulsive womanising; lapses in sobriety; near nervous breakdowns; and attention grabbing performances as the self-styled 'Demon Dog of American Crime Fiction'… According to his ex-wife, Helen Knode: 'James lives life like he was shot out of a cannon.' This gripping, illuminating biography not only throws light on just what she meant by that. It also reveals why he does so.
Nick Rennison, The Daily Mail
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Sober … Powell's unruffled approach is a shrewd way of tackling Ellroy's sensational life and imagination.
Anthony Cummins, Literary Review
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[A] stark, revealing account of [Ellroy's] life.
Martin Chilton, The Independent
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