The Maltese Falcon
“The Maltese Falcon”, by Dashiell Hammett, is one of the most well-known works of fiction of the 20th century.
It’s a noir detective story written in 1930 and adapted to screen twice, once in 1931 and another time (most famously) in 1941, featuring Humphrey Bogart as the main character.
But before I go talk about the movies–which I should, because they both have some interesting particularities–let’s see what the book is about.
The most attractive thing about the book is the writing style, which is dynamic and action-paced. Hammett is my spirit animal, in the sense that I discovered in him an ideal form of fiction, written exactly as I would like to read. I found it interesting that he also writes pretty much in the same fashion I do, and if you check my dialogues in Unknown Songs, though not a work of crime fiction, you’ll see the resemblance.
I have one tiny complaint: he overly describes some things and adds redundant content, like when the detective checks for clues in a briefcase he goes on to list all the contents (half a page full of stuff the reader doesn’t care about) instead of just pointing out the only things that mattered, the actual clues. Luckily, he doesn’t do it extensively nor in a suffocating manner. You can go past it pretty easily.
Another pet peeve was that he also repeatedly mentions characters shaping their mouths in a “V”, and unless I’m missing something and the V meant something else back in the day, you can’t shape your mouth in a “V” unless you’re The Joker. Side-note: I think he refers to a grin but most likely wants to avoid the word.
Other than that, the storytelling is nothing short of genius. Characters talking, unravelling clues, tricky dialogues in which they brainstorm and sometimes hide facts from each other to either mislead or keep control, and it’s up to the reader to either realize it or bow down in awe at the master storyteller when it’s finally revealed.
It’s easy to see why “The Maltese Falcon” became such a classic. It’s an enduring tale about money, betrayal, love, and the trials and tribulations that come with them. And the execution is nothing short of perfect. Hammett surprised me to a degree I did not expect to. And you know what? I’m very glad he did. *tips hat*
The first adaptation, 1931’s The Maltese Falcon, was a very accurate adaptation, and included all the references to homosexuality from the book, as well as the nude scenes. It was a pre-Code movie, as in it released in 1931, prior to the Hays Code era (1934–1969). The Hays Code was a set of rules enforcing the self-censorship of movies.
This is why the more (and most) popular 1941 Maltese Falcon had all these excluded and is a less accurate adaptation. That, of course, doesn’t make it any less of a masterpiece than it already is.
Speaking of, the book also featured some elements that would probably be deemed politically incorrect these days, but that doesn’t make the lecture less enjoyable. If anything, it gives us a window to peek through into the 1940s and understand better how people functioned in the US in that decade.
Because we all know what was going on outside the US back then, am I right?
The Maltese Falcon is a book I can’t recommend enough. Which means I highly recommend it! This is definitely on the must-read list of books that you have to read in your lifetime. It’s also ideal in length, not too short but not too long, which makes it perfect for a weekend read.
Five stars, clearly!