Descent into the Easy Rawlins mysteries series: Walter Mosley and the return of the Black 【翻译】

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PREFACE
Walter Mosley’s rise as a celebrated author of detective fiction in the last decade
of the twentieth century is directly related to the popularity of his most famous character:
Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins. A native of Houston, Texas, and a military veteran, Easy
emigrates along with countless other Black folks from the southwest to California during
the course of a Post-World War II Great Migration1. Introduced in 1990 within the pages
of Mosley’s first published novel, Devil in a Blue Dress, Easy steadily evolves into a
highly skilled private investigator who utilizes a unique combination of intelligence,
boldness, and “street smarts” to solve complex crimes committed at all levels of the rigid
social caste system that exists in mid-twentieth century Los Angeles. Mosley’s famed
Easy Rawlins Mysteries Series begins with the publication of Devil, and the release of
five subsequent narratives: A Red Death (1991), White Butterfly (1992), Black Betty
(1994), A Little Yellow Dog (1996), and Gone Fishin’ (1997). Collectively, these six
publications are referred to as the “canonical novels” in this thesis due to the linear
chronological progression of the first five narratives, which take place between the years
1948-1963, and their common Los Angeles setting. Mosley’s final novel of the nineteennineties,
Gone Fishin’, is a prequel set in the year 1936, and before the events depicted in
Devil. The series is currently ongoing.
Between the years 1990-1997, as an overwhelming majority of the nation bids a
fond farewell to a relatively brief Bush presidency, and enthusiastically inaugurates a
1
“The Great Migration” is typically defined as the movement of African Americans from
the south to urban-industrial cities in the north and Midwest; e.g. Washington, D.C., New
York, Chicago, Detroit, etc. Mosley focuses on a unique branch of this movement that
traces the migrations of Black folks from areas such as Texas, to metropolitan areas
located on the West Coast of the United States; e.g. Los Angeles.
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much longer Clinton2 administration, Mosley utilizes Easy’s distinctive, and entertaining
investigative persona in order to simultaneously return the Black private eye to a position
of prominence within the reading public’s collective imagination3, and to explore new
possibilities for the literary portrayals of heroic Black men. During this pivotal early
period in his prolific literary career, the author dwells upon the significance of Black
male heroism, a bold and uncompromising brand of Black masculinity, and the
importance of Black domesticity. Mosley’s initial introduction of the character to readers
in the turbulent and transformative sociopolitical/economic landscape of the nineteennineties
represents a profound reinterpretation of the Black male protagonist in the
detective fiction genre. Easy Rawlins is a radically new iteration of the Black detective
that is well suited to reflect and deconstruct the profoundly complicated issues associated
with the high rates of Black male incarceration, Black-on-Black crime, and Black
unemployment that characterize the early to mid-nineties. The particular brand of Black
manhood that Easy represents, which could be briefly characterized as an endearing
Texas bravado, also compliments the adamant calls for Black male unity inherent in such
events as the Million Man March (1995). The character’s military service, his steadfast
commitment to a very local form of community uplift, and the way in which he gradually
develops into the guardian of a burgeoning home and family, also provide crucial
counterarguments to the negative portrayals of Black men that are widely disseminated
2
It’s worth noting that Mosley is former President Bill Clinton’s favorite author. See
New York Magazine, “Free Radical” by Logan Hill: “At 53, when other best-selling
authors might be content to coast on expectations, Mosley is merrily taking risks. Of
those next five books, only one is in the mystery genre that’s made him one of the
world’s most-read authors (and, famously, Bill Clinton’s favorite writer)” (1).
3
Within the rich and lengthy history of African American detective fiction, the author
who is most analogous to Mosley is Chester Himes, whose famous Harlem detective
novels serve as an essential literary precursor to the Easy Rawlins Mysteries Series.
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throughout the nation in the aftermath of controversial events such as the Rodney King
beating/verdict (1991-1992), the Los Angeles Riots (1992), and the O.J. Simpson trial
(1995). The appealing qualities of Mosley’s heroic detective also stand in stark contrast to
discussions related to the absence of Black fathers in African American households, and
the crisis of Black masculinity.
The historical context surrounding the publication of Mosley’s novels clarifies the
assertion that the skillful development of his protagonist and the hardboiled fictional
microcosm that he inhabits is also connected to an implicit contemplation of the
complexities of the African American past that also seeks to grapple with the harsh
sociopolitical/economic realities confronting Black folks and the nation at the dawn of a
new, and immensely transformative decade; the nineteen-nineties. The author’s
celebration of the black male protagonist within the pages of the canonical Easy Rawlins
Mysteries narratives and in the midst of the critical historical and cultural milestones
alluded to above illuminates significant conclusions concerning the impact of his work on
the detective fiction genre, the immense value of his contribution to the canon of African
American detective fiction specifically, and the great popularity of his character among
those enthusiastic readers who are entertained by Mosley’s intriguing, and humorous
narratives. His intense focus on the elements of Black male heroism, Black masculinity,
and Black domesticity becomes abundantly clear as one delves into the seedy underbelly
and the corrupt upper echelons of late nineteen-forties Los Angeles in the pages of Devil
in a Blue Dress, which depicts Easy’s initial foray into the treacherous world of private
investigation and his effort to obtain some quick cash to save his beloved home; his own
small piece of the “American Dream.” As the extended linear chronological progression
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of the canonical novels transitions into the nineteen-fifties, and into the pages of A Red
Death and White Butterfly, readers witness Easy’s effort to further hone his investigative
skills while also acting as the landlord of several valuable rental properties, becoming a
doting husband and father, and taking on the role of adoptive caregiver of two orphaned
and abused children named Jesus and Feather.4 Black Betty and A Little Yellow Dog
portray a much more mature Easy Rawlins struggling to come to terms with the poignant
reemergence of a woman from his past- a tragic figure who elicits hazy memories of his
days as an orphan roaming the streets of Houston’s dangerous and poverty-stricken Fifth
Ward- and to cope with the disturbing deaths of his notoriously homicidal friend, fellow
Houston émigré, and investigative ally Raymond “Mouse” Alexander and President John
F. Kennedy; who are killed on the same fateful day, November 22, 1963. Finally,
Mosley’s last canonical novel of the nineteen-nineties, the prequel Gone Fishin’, seeks to
further clarify the mysterious details of Easy’s childhood, and to portray a pivotal chapter
of his life as a young adult living in Houston’s Fifth Ward in the late nineteen-thirties; at
the height of the Great Depression, and shortly before the character’s entrance into the
U.S. military during the World War II era.

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