Derek Raymond Still Lives

The Rap Sheet continues its series on Derek Raymond.

The Book You Have to Read: “He Died with His Eyes Open,” by Derek Raymond by writer Tony Black

I arrived at the genius of Derek Raymond too late. But, as the adage goes, better late than never. If memory serves, I’d been struggling with a reading slump. One of those dispiriting patches where nothing I picked up seemed to be what I wanted to read. Everything was too wordy, too writerly, or the voice grated, the story took too long to start, the prose lacked sparkle. I turned to the recommendations of well-meaning friends but struggled to get past the first few pages of anything I picked up. I couldn’t re-read, either. Even old favorites seemed unappealing. The printed word was dead to me.

The Book You Have to Read: “The Devil’s Home on Leave,” by Derek Raymond by writer John Harvey

He knows how to get you, Derek/Robin; knows how to pull you in.

There are days I sit here resenting every minute I’m not instead re-reading Derek Raymond’s books.

Previously here:

Derek Raymond Is Your Year-End Reading