About raptnrent: I got the name from my keys - R Apt and R Ent for the back door to my apartment and the back door to the house. I liked that they were also words: Rapt, meaning enthralled, riveted, captivated, and Rent, meaning torn asunder, violently wrenched. I thought it made for an interesting juxtaposition, open to all kinds of interpretations.
Tag Archives: himes
Don’t mess with Shaft
If there’s one thing I like as much as noir, it’s blaxploitation films. Cotton Comes to Harlem was one I hadn’t seen before I found it on Youtube last week. The novel had funny moments, but the movie seemed to really … Continue reading
Who are you and how did you get in here?
Sometimes when I listen in on the hardboiled class, I hear people ask, “Who is that guy?” I probably should have done some sort of introductory post a long time ago, but I’m so used to shooting my mouth off … Continue reading
Parental Warning: Explicit Language
One thing that jumps out at me about Cotton Comes to Harlem is all the mother-raping profanity. I’m assuming Himes had to put it that way because he couldn’t get away with the F-bomb. Or maybe the publisher changed it … Continue reading
Coffin & Grave
So it’s the week of Halloween, and we’re reading a book starring Coffin Ed and Grave Digger. Funny how that worked out. I thought I’d take a look at Chester Himes to find out what he’s about. From his biography, it … Continue reading