And yes, these are in order.
1. Day of the Locust (Nathanael West)
2. What Makes Sammy Run? (Budd Schulberg)
3. Play It As It Lays (Joan Didion)
4. Mildred Pierce (James Cain)
5. Ask the Dust (John Fante)
6. Oil (Upton Sinclair)
7. Walking the Dog (Walter Mosley)
8. The Tortilla Curtain (T. Coraghessan Boyle)
9. The High Window (Raymond Chandler)
10. Less Than Zero (Bret Easton Ellis)
Like all great cities, Los Angeles both conforms to its own stereotypes and inspires vastly-ranging conceptions of itself in the minds of artists. No two novelists see the city the same way, but there are certain factors common among great LA novels. (A great LA novel isn’t the same thing as a great novel that takes place in Los Angeles– the differences are subtle but crucial.)
Herewith, a top ten list of LA Novels. The disparities between the books are endless, but the shared traits are easily catalogued: ennui, a certain cynicism, heat, hope, desperation and a sense of doom. I don’t know what this says about living in LA, but I’m always happy to speculate.
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no james ellroy?
evelyn waugh’s “the loved one” should make the list, preferably in the top 5. not only does it share the catalogued traits, the book is the catalogued traits.
Not a novel, but Dead Boys by Richard Lange is pure LA. Just look at the title.
a really great list, but yr missing the amazing + essential Steve Erickson who needs to be on there, maybe rubicon beach or days between stations (if pressed i think i’d switch him in for mosley)
also, i think i would’ve thrown double indemnity in mildred pierce’s place, but that’s just my taste
thnx for the list
I’m *not* saying your list is wrong, I’m just adding an 11, 12 and 13:
Aldous Huxley’s After Many A Summer (Dies the Swan)
Chester Himes’ If He Hollers Let Him Go
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Last Tycoon
(That said, I’m ordering a copy of Walking The Dog today. I like Mosley and am obsessed with LA lit, but missed this one somehow. Thanks for the tip!)
Thank you for this list. What about X’s Los Angeles?