Crime Stories - A Master Class with William Deverell - October 12-14, 2018 Pender Island
When I wrote this little essay on the demise of good taste and elegance (as perceived by the rundown state of the Dal Grauer Substation on Burrard), I found myself thinking about people of good taste that I know who are from Vancouver. My thoughts happened during the terrible noise of the South African fireworks guys tonight.
One of the first names that instantly came to mind was that
of writer William (Bill) Deverell. I first photographed him in 1979 outside
Binky’s Oyster Bar which was next door to Celia Duthie’s Manhattan Book Store.
By a quirk of fate I managed to photograph Deverell with his
daughter Tamara who was my student at Emily Carr.
I have read several of Deverell’s mystery novels and I can
assure those reading this that he has a hard-boiled but elegant style.
“Maybe this is not wise, if…how long are you sober now,
Monsieur Beauchamp?”
“It’s Day Twenty-Five. It’s time.”
“Just one, maybe, yes?”
“Just one.”
Vancouver Sun October 22 1998 |