George V. Higgins

by Erwin H. Ford II

Best known for his popular crime fiction, Boston novelist George V. Higgins (1939-1999) should stand among the top ranks of the American literary canon. In his 26 novels and dozens of short stories, Higgins chronicled the lives of Boston's Irish with his trademark hard-boiled dialog, exploring the criminal underworld, American democracy, Boston politics, personal redemption and New England life in the tradition of Hawthorne and Thoreau. This intimate biography explores his turbulent life and career, including his working-class Irish Catholic roots, his two stormy marriages, his ambivalence toward the city of his birth, his passion for the limelight, and his drinking, which disrupted his family life and led to his early death at age 59. Discussions of Higgins's individual works and excerpts from his correspondence, writings, and thoughts on literature complete this revealing portrait.

229 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable biography that admirably--if not convincingly--tries to argue for Higgins' long-deprived place at the table of great American fiction writers of the post-WWII era. It is well-researched and Ford had a decades-long relationship with Higgins that resulted in extensive correspondence that he's able to cite often.

I have read about a third of GVH's novels -- the first three of which, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, The Digger's Game, and Cogan's Trade, remain core classics of the genre. But his scope as a writer was awfully limited, and his dialogue, justifiably praised for its rhythm and verisimilitude, could also be ponderous and one-note.*

This book, and Higgins himself for the duration of his writing career, pleads that he was perpetually underappreciated, but I'm not convinced, however much I enjoy his books, that he was the victim of a gross literary crime. His status as a cult author (who likely published too much for readers to keep up with) seems about right.

*To my mind, Richard Price took the torch of dialogue writing from GVH and Elmore Leonard and synthesized it with a storytelling style better than anyone else I've ever read. Price's dialogue feels effortless and musical and specifically pitched to the individual speaking; with Higgins' dialogue (which is still brilliant!), you can see the labor and it's sometimes exhausting.

[Tim Morrissey · Rating 1 out of 5]

A pretty rough and repetitive biography of a harshly depressing life. More an account of Higgins’ grumblings towards political correctness and his complaints about poor novel sales than anything else. I have a feeling the author also resents liberal English faculty. I was yawning much of the way through.

[Ray Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a second cousin of George so I'm familiar with many of the characters in the book, especially his mother Doris and father John. Author Ford does an admirable job describing Doris' sturdy, driven MO and Johns affable, chain-smoking persona. Ford stumbles somewhat when describing Higgins family family tree, but in the long run this doesn't distract from the biography.
George had immense talent and he worked hard to achieve success. I love Progress of the Seasons for its family and baseball connection. And of course, The Friends of Eddie Coyle nails thug dialogue and intent. Overall, the book portrays a kind man, prone to drink, but always ready to turn a crafted phrase.