In Search of Literary L.A.

by Lionel Rolfe

Book by Rolfe, Lionel

Genres: Nonfiction, Anthologies

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Erik Prime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in 1981 by Chronicle Books in San Francisco. Rolfe was raised in Los Angeles in the 1950’s, and his mother and two of his uncles were members of the famous Menuhin family of concert musicians, so he spent his formative years surrounded by writers and artists of all types. After a failed attempt at a music career, he became a journalist and wrote about literature and the performing arts in what he calls, “the physical and intellectual desert of Sothern California.”

This little book focuses on four novels that were either written about the City of Angels or penned while residing in the area: Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry, The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West, Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann, and Ape & Essence by Aldous Huxley.

Rolfe also analyzes other authors with Los Angeles connections such as Mark Twain, Jack London, Theodore Dreiser, and Upton Sinclair. Sadly, two of my favorite L.A. wordsmiths, Raymond Chandler and Charles Bukowski, are barely mentioned.

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

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