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Sunday, July 29, 2018

William Deverell - A Man With Style




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.


“Thank you, Pierre. A martini. The usual. Two pearl onions.”
“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.”
Sing a Worried Song - William Deverell

William Deverell & my eureka moment


Vancouver Sun October 22 1998