I have read his three autobiographical novels (I am pretty sure not only are these fictionalized but he had the reputation of being an “embellisher” even among his family as he was growing up.)
I think I read his autobio before I was familiar with his crime fiction and I found I liked the bio stuff much more.
In particular I liked Rough Neck (altho I may have confused some anecdotes as being part of Bad Boy) which describes his experience as, in addition to being an oil field worker, a debt collector and bell boy, much of this occurring in the 1920s and during the depression altho his family circumstances were much reduced even before 1929.
**Mild Spoilers:**
One of my favorite bits is his describing his experiences with a deputy sheriff when he failed to pay a fine, guessing that they would not find him wherever he might be in the vast number of oil fields but the deputy does show up as Jim is working high in the wooden frame of a well. His interaction with said cop are quite remarkable but I am not even sure that is the best story in Rough Neck.
Besides BB and RN there is Now and on Earth.
Would enjoy discussing.
by relesabe
2 Comments
I absolutely love Jim Thompson, I read his biography many years ago (*Savage Art*, great book IIRC, time for a reread), and yet… I’ve never read his straight-up autobiographical works. I need to rectify that.
It’s been a while, but I don’t think his books of that type – a series of folksy, dryly-humorous anecdotes – compare to his classic noirs. E.g. *After Dark, My Sweet* is a masterpiece of the genre; the sympathy with morally flawed characters, struggling and scheming but propelled inexorably to their undoing.
Admittedly, I may not have explored all the early ‘autobio’ books (I presume *The Alcoholics* fits this category) but there’s a reason his best books were often filmed, imo.
However, I’m now inspired to re-read my favourites and will check out *Savage Art* by Polito…