I received 9 Reginald Hill novels this morning from ebay, all from one seller and cheaper than I would have found them in the charity shops. I'm still wading my way through the wall of Martha Grimes so RH will be a nice change. After five stories MG's American idea of the Englishman gentleman, the English pub, the English village, the English eccentric etc. etc. is wearing just a tad thin. She has the village locals saying 'gotten' and eating Hershey bars too. Tsk-tsk!
The plots are good though.
Reginald is an intelligent and literary writer (I am supported in that opinion by my friend Donald who likes his books and Donald has good taste in literature) He also sounds like a Good Bloke. I found an interview with him (Grauniad I think) in which he replies to the uninspiring question: What advice would you give to new writers?
"When I was young, I was full of good advice. Then after a while I realised I knew nothing. The only bit of advice I would give is: when you finish that first manuscript and send it off to a publisher, start your second immediately. It will be infinitely better and you will have it finished by the time you get a reply about the first."
"Is there a secret to writing?"
"It's just perseverance and hard work. If you've got something to say or a good story to tell then the greatest problem is writing to the end of it. If you can do that, then even if it's not that good you have got something to work at."
2 comments:
Reginald Hill is my VERY favourite author. I have been reading him since I fell in love with Warren Clarke's portrayal of Dalziel on TV. Mind you, I have to read with a dictionary at my right elbow. RH is ecoming increasingly erudite and fond of unusual but apt words.
Grauniad!!! Was that Private Eye's version of Guardian many decades ago? or is it something recent and British, that as an oz, I haven't caught up with.
Cheers Gillian
Yes - the Eye renamed the Gaurdian as the Grauniad, deifying its typos, and the name is now acepted in urban mythology.
That's what I love about Reginald - the erudition and the slut. I love the Fat Controller!!
Warren didn't just portray him - he IS Dalziel.
Post a Comment