Raising L.A.’s literary profile

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The Esotouric bus tours of literary L.A. have received an item in this column before, and now there’s another effort to build and maintain the visibility of L.A.’s literary heritage by an organization calling itself Nobody Reads in LA.

Construction continues to change downtown Los Angeles--old buildings are turning into swanky lofts that are intended to attract fresh professionals to live in the area. But what about perceptions of the city’s cultural life? Who is taking care of that? According to the website, Nobody Reads in LA is a ‘loose-knit group of individuals striving to create a stronger cultural, literary and historical sense of downtown Los Angeles. . . . Behind our efforts--which extend far beyond that of a traditional book club--is the desire to examine downtown as one of the two poles, along with Hollywood, whose gravitational pull traces L.A.’s eccentric orbit.’

In the book industry, Los Angeles has long been criticized as lacking a center: Publishers frequently complain that it’s more difficult plotting effective author tours here than, say, in San Francisco or Manhattan--nothing in this city, they say, presents itself as an obvious literary hub. If Nobody Reads in LA succeeds, perhaps such a hub will be found at Lost Souls Café in downtown L.A., where the group will meet. Discussions are being planned on books that have contributed to the various images--noir capital, land of lost souls and desperate people--hanging over the city: Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, Charles Bukowski and Reyner Banham. Directions, times and specifics can all be found at its website.

The club’s first meeting will take place June 13 at the café and center on John Fante’s ‘Ask the Dust.’ Afterward, there will be a brief walking tour of places associated with the author. Who said that books and exercise don’t mix?

Nick Owchar