Broadway Boogie Woogie: Damon Runyon and the Making of New York City Culture [Hardcover]

While analyzing Damon Runyon's high spirited work in terms of historical contexts, popular culture, and of the changing function of the media, Schwarz argues that in his columns and stories Runyon was an indispensable figure in creating our public images of New York City culture, including our interest in the demi-monde and underworld that explains in part the success of The Godfather films and The Sopranos . In his lively and exuberant chapters that include a panoramic view of New York City between the World Wars - with a focus on its colourful nightlife - Schwarz examines virtually every facet of Runyon's career from sports writer, daily columnist, trial reporter, and Hollywood figure to the author of the still widely-read short stories that were the source of the Broadway hit Guys and Dolls . As part of his discussion of Runyon's art and the artistry of Runyon's fiction, Schwarz skilfully examines the special language of the Broadway stories known as 'Runyonese', and explains how 'Runyonese' has become an adjective for describing flamboyant behaviour.Introduction Runyon's New York: Historical Contexts and Fictional Universe The Eyes and Ears of the City: Runyon's Collected Journalism Runyon's Trial Reporting and the Spectator Culture The Art and Artistry of Runyon's Fiction 5Noir and Sentiment: The Genres of Runyon's Fiction (I) Gangsters, Gamblers, and the Demi-monde: The Genres of Runyon's Fiction (II) The Turps: Domesticity in Brooklyn

'Runyon exerted infulence far beyond writing a story and had an enormous impact on popular culture in America. Recommended...' - Katherine E. Merrill, Library Journal

''Runyonese' evoke[s] a perhaps mythical Manhatten occupied by amusing, sometimes violent or greedy perps.' - James Boylan, Columbia Journalism Review

'If you love anything to do with the history of New York City, Dan Schwarz has written just the book for you. Broadway Boogie Woogie: Damon Runyon and the Making of New YorlÓ&