Brian Moore: An Appreciation

Editor’s Note: Brian Moore died last week in Malibu at the age of 77. In 1994, he was given the Robert Kirsch Award for Lifetime Achievement by The Times for his many novels. To mark his passing, Book Review asked several colleagues and friends to comment on his life and work.

As a novelist, Brian Moore was the equivalent of a general assignment reporter rather than a beat reporter: He wrote 20 novels, and he started from scratch every time. He was, among other things, a real gent--generous, considerate, at times almost courtly. He liked proper meals rather than snacks. He drove a gent’s car. He dressed like a gent; I can’t imagine that he owned a pair of blue jeans. He had a view of his trade that many other residents of Malibu would probably have considered old-fashioned. For him, writing that called attention to itself was a distraction from the narrative, and authors who called attention to themselves were distractions from their books. His father was past 50 when Brian was born, so he was raised by a man who had come of age in the 19th century. He was not brought up of follow a touchdown with a dance in the end zone.