Did you have an experience with a book in a faraway place that changed you? Philip Hensher There were two books in the flat in Berlin I’d borrowed for the summer. I don’t remember what the first one was, but the second was Elmore Leonard’s Tishomingo Blues (Phoenix). I started reading, expecting trashy entertainment, and soon discovered profound mastery. It’s the messed-up story of a high-wire diver, a cool dude, some Southern bandits and a Civil War re-enactment society where the killings are for real. The prose sings like a hot wind in the telephone wires. Coming across Leonard like this was the real stout Cortez moment. By the end of the summer I’d read 20, but that first revelation as Dennis stands on a platform 40ft up and sees a brutal murder still retains its magic. He’s my favourite American novelist. Philip Hensher’s new novel, The Emperor Waltz, (Fourth Estate) will be reviewed in next week’s Telegraph
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 16:03:55 +0000
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