Pop. 1280
 First edition | |
| Author | Jim Thompson |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime novel |
| Publisher | Gold Medal Books |
Publication date | 1964 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 143 pp |
Pop. 1280 is a crime novel by Jim Thompson, published in 1964.[1][2] NPR's Stephen Marche described it as Thompson's "true masterpiece, a preposterously upsetting, ridiculously hilarious layer cake of nastiness, a romp through a world of nearly infinite deceit."[3]
Plot
Pop. 1280 is the first-person narrative of Nick Corey,[4] the listless sheriff of Potts County, the "47th largest county in the state". He lives in Pottsville which has a population of "1280 souls".
Sheriff Nick Corey presents himself as a genial fool, simplistic, over-accommodating, and harmless to a fault, given he is Pottsville's sole lawman. From the outset Nick's problems appear to be those of a harmless fool, managing his shrew wife and idiot brother-in-law while simultaneously having affairs in town; negotiations with criminals and undesirables in Pottsville; the evasion of work; and a difficult election campaign against a more worthy candidate.
Adaptations
Pop. 1280 was adapted as the French film Coup de Torchon (1981), directed by Bertrand Tavernier, set in French West Africa in 1938.[5]
References
- ↑ Farber, Stephen (1990-01-21). "In the Desert, a Jim Thompson Novel Blossoms on Film". Retrieved 2012-04-10.
- ↑ McGrath, Charles (2010-06-03). "Filmed to a Pulp". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
- ↑ Marche, Stephen. "Bad Sheriff: Murder, Lies And Southern Fried Catfish". NPR. Retrieved 2015-05-08.
- ↑ Block, Lawrence (October 14, 1990). "CRIME/MYSTERY; A Tale of Pulp and Passion: The Jim Thompson Revival". The New York Times.
- ↑ Maslin, Janet (1982-12-20). "Clean Slate (1981) 'Coup De Torchon,' Life In A French Colony". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-04-10.