R.I.P. Elmore Leonard

If there's one thing readers and literary critics can agree on it's the fact that there's basically two kinds of fiction writers in this world: those who are fun and those who are serious. John Grisham, for instance, is a lot of fun. One would be hard pressed, however, to call his work serious.

James Joyce, on the other hand, was a serious writer of the first rank. Yet fun is probably not the first world people would use to describe the man's fiction.

The sad fact of the matter is novels present an either/or scenario for contemporary readers. We can be entertained or we can be enriched by art. Rarely can we be both. Except in the case of Elmore Leonard. Leonard is the exception to the rule.

Or at least he was. Word came down today that the great author has passed. While Leonard lived to a ripe old age, his death marks a loss for lovers of good writing. Leonard knew how to write...really write. His dialogue was some of the best ever written and that's saying something.

The fact that Leonard was a basically a crime writer didn't hurt his reputation as an artist. That's because an artist can write whatever he or she wants. And Leonard liked crime fiction. Get Shorty, Rum Punch, 52 Pickup, Cuba Libre, the list of the man's work goes on and on.

And it's here to stay. People of all different tastes can enjoy Leonard's work, because there's all sorts of things to enjoy. Authentic speech patterns, twists and turns, great characters, an easygoing, natural style...

The guy was something else.