Great reading that provides a sense of the city, from the Traveler online Ultimate Travel Library.
|
THIS ARTICLE IS FROM
|
Ask the Dust, by John Fante (1939)
A young screenwriter comes to terms with his budding career, set against the backdrop of a love-hate relationship with a Mexican waitress. Paints a vivid picture of thirties-era Bunker Hill, then a ritzy neighborhood-turned-slum.
The Black Dahlia, by James Ellroy (1987)
The great L.A. crime writer's noir novel about the investigation of the torture and death of a beautiful aspiring actress. Depicts gritty landscape of postwar Hollywood.
The Loved One, by Evelyn Waugh (1948)
Before Six Feet Under came The Loved One—Waugh's hilarious send-off of the Los Angeles funeral industry. His satire of blithe American attitudes toward sex and romance, of British expats in Los Angeles, and of Hollywood is still scathingly relevant.
The Pleasure of My Company, by Steve Martin (2003)
Novella chronicling the daily ordeal of a mildly autistic ex-programmer in Santa Monica—and illustrating that extreme neurosis can exist in sunny Los Angeles, too. Just as poignant, if funnier, than Shopgirl, Martin's first novella.
The Slide Area: Scenes of Hollywood Life, by Gavin Lambert (1959)
Narrated by a screenwriter, these short stories provide evocative descriptions of Hollywood, the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and other distinctive L.A. spots.
