Page 31 - ARUBA TODAY

PEOPLE/ARTS Friday 17 November 2017
A31

Seal opens dialogue Newly discovered Raymond Chandler

with listeners on story chastises medical industry

‘Standards’ album By HILLEL ITALIE
AP National Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — A new-
ly discovered Raymond
Chandler story has every-
thing from an indictment
of the medical industry to
some mysterious scribble.
“It’s All Right: He Only
Died,” the title suggest-
ing a macabre Bob Dylan
song, is a brief, bitter narra-
tive about a doctor who re-
fuses to treat a patient and
the consequences of his
decision. The story appears
in the holiday edition of
The Strand Magazine and
comes with an author’s This 1946 file photo shows mystery novelist and screenwriter
In this Oct 18, 2017 photo, Grammy Award-winning singer Seal note from Chandler and Raymond Chandler.
poses for a portrait to promote his new album “Standards” at the a puzzler for readers. The Associated Press
London Hotel in West Hollywood, Calif. Strand’s layout includes tient for a poor person and also found “It’s All Right”
Associated Press
some handwritten com- suggests he be moved to darker than the Marlowe
By RYAN PEARSON much emphasis is on story- ments by Chandler at the a different hospital. Chan- stories. Instead of “cyni-
AP Entertainment Writer telling and the ability of the bottom of the manuscript, dler had strong enough cism and wit,” the kind im-
BEVERLY HILLS, California great singers of these stan- so illegible the magazine is feelings about health care, mortalized by Humphrey
(AP) — Seal is in crisis mode. dards — the Sinatras, the asking for help. (Individual and the greed he believed Bogart in the film adapta-
The Grammy-winning sing- Fitzgeralds, the Nat King words, such as “suddenly” prevalent, that he consid- tion of “The Big Sleep,” Trott
er says he’s deeply con- Coles — and the ability of and “she,” can be deci- ered writing a book about writes that “It’s All Right”
cerned about anti-social these great singers, these phered). it. In an author’s note at- has a tone “bordering on
social media and the emo- great voices, to carry this “Whenever we get tached to “It’s All Right,” sinister” as Chandler assails
tionless conversations en- narrative, to tell the story stumped, we call on our he stated that the doctor the doctor. She notes that
abled by technology. — everything is focused readers’ skills and intelli- had disgraced “himself as Chandler had lived in Eng-
He stepped back recently on that. ... If that is not in- gence to save the day,” a person, as a healer, as a land and likely found the
to observe how he and his tact, everything else falls to reads an editor’s note. saviour of life.” British health care system
children used social me- pieces,” Seal said. “It has “Email us your ideas to un- “In the medical profession far more humane.
dia and messaging apps to be dialogue. ... That kind lock the ‘Chandler Code’ there are many like him — “It is a contemporary life-or-
— and didn’t like what he of seems to be the theme at chandlercode@strand- and thousands quite unlike death story; a cautionary
saw. with me at the moment -- mag.com.” him,” Chandler wrote. “The tale about the problematic
“I’ve been going through both kind of personally and Chandler, who died in practice of medicine at nature of assumption and
my own sort of crisis if you professionally.” 1959, is known for “The times demands too much appearance in a ‘cash-is-
like, of late — trying to His 10th studio album was Big Sleep,” ‘’Farewell, My of a man. But he knew long king’ society, and a disturb-
make sense of it all,” he recorded at Capitol Re- Lovely” and other fiction ago that it would, that it ing commentary about the
said. “There’s a lot of con- cords in Los Angeles, with featuring private eye Philip would inevitably have to American dream, where
tact, a lot of traffic, but a band that included mu- Marlowe. Sarah Trott, au- on occasion. In essence, the competition to remain
very little dialogue. So peo- sicians who performed thor of “War Noir: Raymond therefore, he accepted a employed means not run-
ple are texting each other, alongside Sinatra and Ella Chandler and the Hard- trust, and betrayed it. Why ning a hospital ‘for char-
but actually having zero Fitzgerald. The 54-year-old Boiled Detective as Vet- should a doctor in such cir- ity,’ even if it requires de-
dialogue at all, or very lit- British crooner has been eran in American Fiction,” cumstances be better than nying medical attention to
tle. They’re not saying any- more focused on storytell- believes that “It’s All Right” other men? The answer is seriously ill patients,” Trott
thing. Because they’re not ing in his own songwriting was written between 1956 simply, that if he isn’t, he is writes.
real conversations. ... Be- since delving into the clas- and 1958. Strand manag- not a doctor.” “The story is also reminis-
cause there is no emotion, sics songbook. ing editor Andrew Gulli Trott, whose brief essay also cent of Chandler’s favorite
or very little. And if there “It taught me relaxation, obtained the story from appears in The Strand, be- theme: the terrible impact
is emotion, it’s contrived slowing down, and having the University of Oxford’s lieves that “It’s All Right” fits that money and the capi-
emotion.” to be more reflective and Bodleian Library, to which with Chandler’s disdain for talist system have upon
Among his responses: He focused again on this thing “It’s All Right” and other wealthy people. But she society.”q
doesn’t shake hands — of the narrative. Because papers were donated in a
only hugs. He texts as lit- that’s really what resonates shoe box in the 1990s.
tle as possible, preferring with people,” he said.q “It’s All Right” begins in
FaceTime or other video hard-boiled style:
apps when holding a “Iris Cook, the admitting
phone conversation. clerk at the General Hospi-
And he immersed himself tal, stood looking down dis-
in the “dialogue” of clas- tastefully at the filthy figure
sic pop and jazz songs on the stretcher in the hos-
like “Autumn Leaves” and pital corridor,” Chandler
“Smile” for a new “Stan- writes. The doctor on duty,
dards” album released this worried about getting paid
month. and about getting home
“I feel that because so for dinner, mistakes the pa-