Sedge Thomson presents wisdom for these times from three thoughtful and funny artists.
How writers take the experiences of of low-lifes, corrupt politicians and financial theives and turn it into tales of comeuppance, with uplift for the downtrodden.
SARA PARETSKY — Her V.I. Warshawski novels set in Chicago take on political corruption, financial fraud, and tax evasion by the powerful. She aids the downtrodden and often gets clonked on her head for her efforts.
ELMORE LEONARD — His classic aphorism, Leave out the parts the readers skip, as his writing secret, serves us all well. He takes us into the world of dumb low-lifes who scheme for money and power yet get a comeuppance. See Get Shorty, Riding the Rap, Glitz, Jackie Brown.
KATIE GILMARTIN — Her oral histories of queer San Franciscans led to her noir mystery Blackmail, My Love, depicting in deft wit a 1950s San Francisco of double lives, corrupt police and political skullduggery. She also keeps alive the voices of those who sought to lead their lives when society, even in San Francisco, was not open to them.
Sedge’s flâneur files.