Edgar and Nebula Awards Announced

Knit One, Read Two

April is National Poetry Month

The Fair of the Book and the Rose

National Library Week Videos

DIY Film Fest: Raymond Chandler

Posted April 15, 2008

Continuing our salute to One Book One Chicago author Raymond Chandler, we suggest that you settle onto a comfy couch for your own Chandler film fest. Most of the movies listed would fall into the film noir category: dark, gritty crime dramas with femmes fatales and conflicted heroes. Chandler's writing works well on film, due to his iconic characters, moody settings and slick hand with dialogue. His novels and those of contemporary Dashiell Hammett set the tone for virtually every private eye in print or on celluloid that followed. A famous quote by Chandler on the subject of writing gives a good idea of what to expect: "When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand."

Movies based on Chandler's books:
The Long Goodbye
This 1970s update of our One Book selection was directed by Robert Altman and takes a LOT of liberties with the novel. More of a movie about the detective genre, this is not a film for noir purists, but it's still of interest for Chandler fans.

The Big Sleep
Arguably the best of the Chandler adaptations, this is also one of the best of the noirs, period. Humphrey Bogart plays PI Philip Marlowe to perfection, and the chemistry between him and Lauren Bacall crackles.

Murder, My Sweet
Based on Chandler's Farewell My Lovely, this film finds Marlowe working for a thug named Moose Malloy who is looking for his girlfriend. Dick Powell was a surprising choice for this role, as he was known mostly for musicals before this, but he is a very convincing Marlowe.

Chandler screenplays:
Double Indemnity
Although he didn't write the book, Chandler owns the movie version of the noir classic about a woman who suckers an insurance agent into taking care of her husband. Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck both turn in stellar performances.

Strangers on a Train
Working from the excellent source material of Patricia Highsmith's twisty novel, and directed by the unparalleled Alfred Hitchcock, Chandler worked on the screenplay of this story about two men who meet on a train and hatch the plans for a couple of perfect murders.

Harold Washington's Legacy

Pulitzer Prizes 2008

Baseball is Back!

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of...Melancholy?

Legendary Science Fiction Writer Arthur C. Clarke Dies

Posted March 20, 2008

2001 seemed like a long time in the future when Arthur C. Clarke collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on his most famous work: 2001: A Space Odyssey. The film and the book that accompanied it were groundbreaking when they came out in the late 60s. But author Clarke lived to see the date most associated with his name come and go, passing away this week in Sri Lanka, where he lived for many years. Although his name might be forever linked to 2001, Clarke had a long career and was one of the most respected writers in science fiction. Early classics include the chilling Childhood's End, where an alien race arrive to rescue Earth from disease and poverty, but at a cost. His popular Rama series kicks off with Rendezvous with Rama, a classic space story of a group of humans who intercept a spaceship, the Rama, passing through our solar system and attempt to unlock its secrets. In later years, Clarke had several successful collaborations with fellow SF writer Stephen Baxter, including The Light of Other Days which explores the concept of wormholes through time. A brilliant scientific thinker (his science writing anticipated satellite networks by decades) as well as a writer of great prose, Clarke's body of work is his greatest legacy.

DIY Film Festival - Anthony Minghella

Posted March 18, 2008

Trying to decide on a good movie to check out from the thousands available in the collections of the Chicago Public Library? It can be a daunting task! When trying to pick what film you might be in the mood for, CPL can offer a few suggestions about how to create a do-it-yourself film festival. On a regular basis, we will suggest a small selection of films that we think would make for a great exploration of a director, actor, or theme. Try one film from the list for an enjoyable evening's entertainment, or try a few for a more extended stay on the couch. This week, due to the far-too-early passing of British director Anthony Minghella (who died this week at the age of 54), we suggest three of his best films:

The English Patient
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Cold Mountain

One Book Gets Hard Boiled

Posted March 14, 2008

The Chicago Public Library has chosen a new title for the twice-yearly One Book, One Chicago program, and it is a masterpiece of crime fiction. The Long Goodbye is Raymond Chandler's last book to feature the iconic private eye Philip Marlowe, and surely ranks as one of his very best. This is also the first crime novel (or genre fiction book of any kind) to be chosen as part of the citywide reading initiative. Visit the One Book, One Chicago site to find the resource guide for The Long Goodbye and to see the many exciting One Book events that we have planned.


The Long Goodbye is a truly wonderful introduction to hard-boiled or noir crime fiction. This novel features Marlowe's wise-cracking hard-drinking detective sharing his cynical views of society as he tries to help a friend in trouble. In Marlowe's world trouble is almost always accompanied by dead bodies, guns, blondes and, inevitably, the cops. Enjoy The Long Goodbye for its twisty plot, its beautifully flawed characters, and for the sheer love that Chandler has for language.

We will be celebrating The Long Goodbye through April here at Beyond Words, sharing our favorite hard-boiled novels both old and new, as well as some of the film noir of the period that were influenced by and in turn influenced crime writers then and now.

We'll leave you now with the words of Philip Marlowe, Private Detective:
"So passed a day in the life of a P.I. Not exactly a typical day but not totally untypical either. What makes a man stay with it nobody knows. You don?t get rich, you don?t often have much fun. Sometimes you get beaten up or shot at or tossed into the jailhouse. Once in a long while you get dead. Every other month you decide to give it up and find some sensible occupation while you can still walk without shaking your head. Then the door buzzer rings and you open the inner door to the waiting room and there stands a new face with a new problem, a new load of grief, and a small piece of money." - The Long Goodbye, Raymond Chandler

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Posted March 12, 2008

Jack Kerouac's birthday is as good a time as any to pick up one of the books commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of On the Road, a novel which (according to a recent Chicago Tribune article) still sells 100,000 copies a year. In addition to the classic version, Viking recently published Kerouac's original first draft of the novel. Written as a single long paragraph, the draft formed a single 120-foot scroll, and so this version is known as On the Road: The Original Scroll. As published in this edition, the novel is said to be a little longer, a little more raw and somewhat more like a memoir in tone. Characters are identified by the real names of friends who inspired Kerouac's story. If you're ready to delve deeper, consider the novel's place in American culture by reading Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of On the Road (They're Not What You Think) by John Leland, or soak up the ambience captured in the photos of The Beats: From Kerouac to Kesey, an Illustrated Journey Through the Beat Generation by Mike Evans.

Barbie, Pushing 50

The Critics Pick

Daylight Savings Time Begins

Women's History Month

The Chicago Public Library has many books in our collections celebrating the contributions of women to society. Sample some of these books on our Women's History Popular Topic page.

Happy Pulaski Day!

Before Sudoku there was the Crossword

Oscar winning films at CPL

George Pullman and the Pullman Porters