It Ain't Moby Dick

Robert B. Parker (above), creator of Boston P.I. Spenser, turns 72 today. Raymond Chandler, whose Philip Marlowe inspired Spenser, was vocal about his high aspirations for genre fiction, followed in the 50s and 60s by Ross Macdonald and John D. MacDonald, in the 70s by Parker and Roger L. Simon, and the trend continues.

If there is a divide between literary and pop fiction--IMO it's mostly the invention of academics wanting their work to stand out--it doesn't come into play when I write. I write because I get an idea that can't be rationalized away. The best I can do is express it in a story, however that story is finally categorized. I can't imagine telling myself, This is genre fiction, so I can stop at a certain depth. (a.k.a. the "It Ain't Moby Dick" attitude) My internal monologue is more like Never know who'll read my work. Better go all the way.

Many academics look down on popular fiction with good reason. I'm not going to defend the tree-killers you see on supermarket racks. But the majority of authors K-Mart shoppers never hear about: authors who despise tree-killers as much as I do, yet can't see themselves writing the Great American Novel. These authors simply want to speak to an audience through the format that best speaks to them.

All earnest writers somehow uncover and express their ideas, and deserve equal credit for doing so.