"The Wire" George Pelecanos Hand Written Note on Postcard For Sale

GeorgeP. Pelecanos(born 18 February1957) is an American author. Many of his 20 books are in the genre ofdetective fictionand set primarily in his hometown ofWashington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a televisionwriter. On television, he frequently collaborates withDavid Simon, writing multiple episodes of Simon'sHBOseriesThe WireandTreme, and is also the co-creator (with Simon) of the HBOseriesThe Deuce. Pelecanos,aGreek American, was borninWashington, D.C.in1957. Pelecanos acknowledged thatElmore Leonardwas a prime influence on him as an author.In addition to Leonard, he cited the worksofDashiell Hammett,Raymond Chandler,John D. MacDonald,Ross Macdonald,Mickey Spillane, andJohn le Carréfor getting him hooked on crime fiction. Pelecanos'searly novels were written in the first person voice of Nick Stefanos, a GreekD.C. resident and sometime private investigator. After the success of his firstfour novels, the Stefanos-narratedA Firing Offense,Nick's Trip, andDown by theRiver Where the Dead Men Go, and the non-series (though somecharacters do cross over)Shoedog, Pelecanos switched his narrative styleconsiderably and expanded the scope of his fiction with his D.C. Quartet. Hehas commented that he did not feel he had the ability to be this ambitiousearlier in his career. The quartet, often compared toJames Ellroy's L.A. Quartet, spanned several decades andcommunities within the changing population of Washington. Now writing in thethird person, Pelecanos relegated Stefanos to a supporting character andintroduced his first "salt and pepper" team of crime fighters, DimitriKarras and Marcus Clay. InThe Big Blowdown, set a generation before Karras and Claywould appear (the 1950s), Pelecanos followed the lives of dozens of D.C.residents, tracking the challenges and changes that the second half of thetwentieth century presented to Washingtonians.King Suckerman, setin the 1970s and generally regarded as the fans' favorite, introduced therecurring theme ofbasketballin Pelecanos' fiction.Typically, he employs the sport as a symbol of cooperation amongst the races,suggesting the dynamism of D.C. as reflective of the good will generated bymulti-ethnic pick up games. However, he also indulges the reverse of theequation, wherein the basketball court becomes the site of unresolvedhostilities. In such cases, violent criminal behavior typically emerges amongstthe participants, usually escalating the mystery.The SweetForever(1980s) andShame the Devil(1990s) closed the quartet andPelecanos retired Stefanos and the other characters that populated the novels.(Stefanos and other characters do reappear in subsequent works). In 2001, heintroduced a new team of private detectives, Derek Strange and Terry Quinn, asthe protagonists ofRight as Rain. They have subsequently starred in theauthor's more recent worksHell to Pay(whichwon aGumshoe Awardin2003) andSoul Circus. Whilethese books have cemented the author's reputation as one of the best currentAmerican crime writers and sold consistently, they have not garnered thecritical and cult affection his D.C. quartet did. Rather, they seem to becontinuing the author's well received formula of witty protagonists chasingunconflicted criminals behind the backdrop of popular culture references andD.C. landmarks. Perhaps sensing this, Pelecanos again switched his focus in his2004 novel,Hard Revolution,taking one of his new detectives, Derek Strange, back in time to his early dayson the D.C. police force. In another interesting move, Pelecanos attached a CDto the book itself, emulatingMichael Connellywho included a CD with his 2003 HarryBosch bookLost Light. In 2005,Pelecanos saw another novel published,Drama City.This book revisited the examination of dogfighting begun in his bookHellTo Pay. Pelecanos is a dog owner and has written about his views ofdogfighting. In 2006 he publishedThe Night Gardener,which was a major change of style and which featured a cameo of himself.Pelecanos has also published short fiction in a variety of anthologies andmagazines, includingMeasures of PoisonandUsualSuspects. His reviews have been published inThe Washington Post BookWorld,The New York Times BookReview, and elsewhere. The Turnaroundwas publishedin August 2008, reflecting a return to his roots, as the novel opens in the 70sin a Greek diner, and a continuation of his more modern style in the portionset in the present.The Turnaroundwon the 2008'sHammett Prize. In 2011, Pelecanos publishedThe Cut,introducing the character Spero Lucas, a young veteran of the Iraq war. Theformer Marine works part-time as a private investigator for a D.C. defenseattorney as well as taking jobs finding stolen items for a 40% cut of the valueof the returned item. In 2013, Pelecanos publishedThe Double, thesecond Spero Lucas book. Pelecanos has in turn influenced other novelists. Theyinclude Kristen Lepionka, who won theShamus Awardfor Best First P.I. Novel in 2018. Lepionkacited his "lean, laconic prose."The introduction to a 2018interview withWilliam Boylepointedto Pelecanos's influence on Boyle, in particular as a "meticulouschronicler of process." elecanoshas written and produced forHBO'sThe Wireand is part of a literary circle withTheWirecreatorDavid SimonandnovelistLaura Lippman. Simonsought out Pelecanos after reading his work. Simon was recommended his novelsseveral times but did not read his work initially because of territorialprejudice; Simon is from Baltimore. Once Simon received furtherrecommendations, including one from Lippman, he triedThe Sweet Foreverandchanged his mind. The two writers have much in common including a childhoodinSilver Spring, Maryland,attendance at the University of Maryland, and their interest in the "fateof the American city and the black urban poor".They first met at thefuneral of a mutual friend shortly after Simon delivered the pilot episode.Simonpitched Pelecanos the idea ofThe Wireas a novel fortelevision about the American city as Pelecanos drove him home. Pelecanos wasexcited about the prospect of writing something more than simple mystery fortelevision as he strived to exceed the boundaries of genre in his novels.Pelecanos joined the crew as a writer for the first season in 2002.Hewrote the teleplay for the season's penultimate episode, "Cleaning Up", from astory by Simon andEd Burns. Pelecanos was promoted toproducer for the second season in 2003. He wrote the teleplay for the episodes"Duck and Cover"and "Bad Dreams"from stories he co-wrote with Simon.He remained a writer and producer forthe third season in 2004. He wrote the teleplay for the episodes "Hamsterdam"and "Middle Ground"from stories he co-wrote with Simon.Simon wrote the teleplay for theepisode "Slapstick" from astory he co-wrote with Pelecanos. Simon and Pelecanos' collaboration on"Middle Ground" received the show's firstEmmy Awardnomination, in the categoryOutstanding Writing for a Drama Series.Pelecanos leftthe production staff ofThe Wireafter the show's third seasonto concentrate on writing his novelThe Night Gardener.[25]His role as a producer was taken on byEric Overmyer.