Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Readalikes
Born in England, Richard Rayner now lives in Los Angeles. Rayner is the author of nine books. His first, Los Angeles Without A Map, was published in 1988. Part-fiction, part-travelogue, this was turned into a movie L.A. Without a Map. In 1996, Rayner published The Blue Suit, a memoir about his early life that won an Esquire Non-Fiction Award in the UK.
His work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and many other publications. He has worked as an editor at Time Out Magazine, in London, and later on the literary magazine Granta, then based in Cambridge.
Currently Rayner writes a monthly column entitled Paperback Writers for the Los Angeles Times. His work has been translated into many languages. He lives in Santa Monica.
This bio was last updated on 10/17/2015. We try to keep BookBrowse's biographies both up to date and accurate, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's a tough task. So, please help us - if the information about a particular author is out of date or inaccurate, and you know of a more complete source, please let us know. Authors: If you wish to make changes to your bio, send your complete biography as you would like it displayed so that we can replace the old with the new.
An Interview with Richard Rayner about Cloud Sketcher
This novel is a departure from your previous novel, Murder Book,
although some elements of detective fiction are still present. Does it signal a
permanent change of direction in your work?
Murder Book was Los Angeles cops and robbers, in other words a
straightforward genre novel, although it arose out of real and true experiences
I'd had with the LAPD while reporting for the New York Times magazine, so
it didn't quite feel like that as I was writing it. It felt like fictional
reportage on the city in which I live. Only later did I realize, hey, I've
written a police procedural. But I've always loved what good genre writers give
you: story, pace, movement, life, a sense of things happening on the page.
Likewise, I find a lot of so-called literary novels dull fare indeed. The
Cloud Sketcher is very different in that it's historical and has a big
sweep-encompassing the Finnish Civil War, architecture and idealism, New York in
the 1920s, the Jazz Age etc. The element of detective fiction is murder, a
turning point in the story, although I don't think that violence belongs to, or
should be left to, the crime genre alone. I suppose what I ...
Named for Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Lawrence Doctorow occupies a central position in the history of American literature. On a shortlist that might also include Philip Roth, Toni Morrison, John Updike, Saul Bellow, and Don ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Cloud Sketcher
Try:
City of God
by E.L. Doctorow
Lee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy is known for a telegrammatic prose style, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Devil's Wind
Try:
The Cold Six Thousand
by James Ellroy
We recommend 9 similar authors
Become a Member and discover books that entertain, engage & enlighten!
A stunning, provocative new novel from New York Times bestselling author Marisa Silver
About the book
The Heart's Invisible Furies
by John Boyne
A sweeping, heartfelt saga set in Ireland from the author of The Boy In the Striped Pajamas.
Reader Reviews
The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas
Epic, propulsive, incredibly ambitious, and dazzlingly written--a story about sacrifice and motherhood.
Visitors can view some of BookBrowse for free. Full access is for members only.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends books that we believe to be best in class. Books that will whisk you to faraway places and times, that will expand your mind and challenge you -- the kinds of books you just can't wait to tell your friends about.
Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info & giveaways by email.
