Dennis Lehane has established a formidable presence as a writer of mysteries, usually dealing with gritty characters — whether cops or criminals. Growing up in Dorchester, the Irish section of South Boston, Lehane was surrounded by both, and allows him an intimacy with their lives that comes naturally. That’s part of his allure: He writes about what he knows, and advises beginning authors to follow that rule.
Lehane’s popular books have been on the New York Times bestseller list, and several have been adapted for movies. Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island and Mystic River have all been box office hits starring major Hollywood actors. He’s also shared writing awards for his TV work on The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, and won several Edgars, the coveted mystery writer’s award named for Edgar Allan Poe. Lehane’s first novel, A Drink Before the War (1994), introduced the recurring detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, and earned the 1995 Shamus Award for Best First P.I. Novel.
Despite his Boston background, his ties to the Tampa Bay area are strong. He graduated from Eckerd College, where he discovered his writing ability and was awarded an honorary Ph.D. He has also taught writing classes at Eckerd, as well as Harvard, and serves on Eckerd’s board of trustees and as a director of the Writers in Paradise program (which he co-founded with Les Standiford.) We wanted to find out a bit about his influences, and just what makes him tick. Here’s what he told us.
Is there one book that has influenced you more than any other?
The Wanderers, by Richard Price, which I read the summer I turned 14. It was hilarious, tragic, profane, mournfully poetic and concerned with the kinds of people I saw around me every day in my neighborhood. It made me realize, “You don’t have to write about kings or professors or millionaires chasing their lost loves; you can write about working-class people just trying to get through a day.” Game changer on every level.
What writer/writers do you most admire?
Well, Price, for obvious reasons. But otherwise, the list is truly bottomless. But in terms of the Rushmore of writers for me — Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor, Elmore Leonard, Edith Wharton, James Crumley, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison, William Kennedy and Graham Greene.
What do you like most about teaching?
Seeing the lightbulb go off in a student’s mind.
You don’t like writing screenplays from your novels because you feel it’s like operating on your child, but do you usually approve of the screenwriter’s work?
I’ve “evolved” on that issue. I’m now comfortable adapting my own books. What do you mean by “approve the screenwriter’s work”? Are you asking if I OK a screenwriter before he or she is hired?
You grew up in Dorchester, so do you base any characters on real people you knew? Composites?
Lots of composites. Almost never directly. I did that once, with one of my more infamous characters, and the woman I based her on showed up at a signing and stood in line. I was checking for suspicious bulges in her pocket, waiting for her to whip out a gun, and then when she reached me, she asked if I remembered her, what I’d been up to, and even where I’d come up with “that bitch” in my book. She was genuinely curious. Had zero idea I’d based the woman on her. So there went the idea of getting revenge through writing.
If you’re just reading for fun, what do you like to read?
Nonfiction. I’m reading a book now about 10 maps that explain the entire world and another about how our current idiocracy and the general conspiracy-theory nature of America didn’t start with Comrade Trump but actually came over on the Mayflower and has been metastasizing ever since. Good stuff.
Growing up in Boston’s Irish community, did you ever encounter — or hear about — the Irish underworld? Folks like Whitey Bulger?
Um, yeah. Just a bit.
Editor's note: In addition to co-founding Writers in Paradise. Lehane's Florida accolades are strong: He served as a writer/producer on the ended-much-too-soon Netflix series Bloodline, set and filmed in the Florida Keys; he set World Gone By in Ybor City (and Cuba); he also set Live By Night in Ybor City; and — we love this part the most — he wrote a screenplay based on John D. MacDonald's The Deep Blue Good-By. If there's anything that says "paradise" more than MacDonald's Travis McGee and the Busted Flush, we've yet to find it.
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