On Re-Reading the Maltese Falcon

Abrahams, Paul P., Journal of American Culture (Malden, MA)

Dashiell Hammett is commonly known by his third and most famous novel, The Maltese Falcon, uniquely featuring the detective hero, Sam Spade. A 1941 film version of the book, which had been published in 1929, was a box-office hit starring Humphrey Bogart. This partly accounts for the recognition Hammett and Spade continue to enjoy, but we measure the endurance of the author and his fictional creation by more than popularity, or the devotion of the Bogart cult. Together they established the fictional detective as a fully fledged social observer and critic. A close reading of the novel in the context of contemporary events shows that the author was working out the controversial 'lessons' of …

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Publication information: Article title: On Re-Reading the Maltese Falcon. Contributors: Abrahams, Paul P. - Author. Journal title: Journal of American Culture (Malden, MA). Volume: 18. Issue: 1 Publication date: Spring 1995. Page number: 97. © 2004 Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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