Damon Runyon (1884–1946)

A collection of short stories telling of a number of colourful characters. People who may come from the wrong side of the tracks but can still mean well or have a heart of gold.

The names are unusual — Harry the Horse, Big False Face, and Last Card Louie are just a few of the interesting and unique personalities.

Some of the stories may ring a bell — “Madame La Gimp” and Little Miss Marker” are two that became popular movies. “Madame La Gimp” became “Lady For A Day” and won three Oscars. I believe “Little Miss Marker” has been made a movie a couple of times.

Runyon was a top sports/news reporter and went into writing about the characters he met elsewhere in New York City. Comical and written in the rich, colourful style of the 1940s, Runyon gives life to his characters on paper. Descriptions and dialogue take the character from the page to being alive in front of you.

A fun trip back in time to another place.… (más)

The Broadway stories which make up the bulk of this collection mark out the territory of the runyonesque: heartfelt humble heroes full of hopeful cynicism risking everything on the next roll of the dice knowing the odds are against them but that’s still more of a chance than they started out with in life. His style is unique. His characters shape and are shaped by their time and place — New York during prohibition. A treat to read still today.

The other writings here confirm that Runyon’s strength as a short story writer emerged from his solid grounding in gritty journalism. And they remind us that his life as a writer was every bit as vibrant and colourful as his fiction implied.

Easy to recommend.… (más)