Love Me Fierce in Danger: The Life of James Ellroy
Steven Powell
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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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
"As gripping and twisted as a James Ellroy novel." - Ian Rankin
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.
Product Details
Price
$19.95
$18.55
Publisher
Bloomsbury Academic
Publish Date
February 09, 2023
Pages
352
Dimensions
6.05 X 8.96 X 0.8 inches | 1.26 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781501367311
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Steven Powell is the editor of Conversations with James Ellroy (2012) and 100 American Crime Writers (2012). He lives in Liverpool, UK.
Reviews
"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
"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 "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 "[A] stark, revealing account of [Ellroy's] life." --Martin Chilton, The Independent "An essential purchase for anyone interested in modern American crime fiction, couched in prose that is as lively as its uncompromising subject." --Barry Forshaw, Crime Time "When it comes to James Ellroy, [Powell] is the go-to expert who plays sleuth to the inventor of many an L.A. sleuth. . . . The same obsessive thread that runs through all of Ellroy's work also weaves kinetically through Powell's prose. In this latest book, he reveals nuances of the epic writer's life and process that only an Ellroy expert can." --Brooklyn Rail "Whatever we thought we knew about the Demon Dog of American Literature, we were wrong; Love Me Fierce in Danger is as revelatory as it is compelling, and a masterpiece of literary biography: James Ellroy deserves no less." --David Peace
