Memory (Westlake novel)

Memory
	First edition cover
Author	Donald E. Westlake
Audio read by	Stephen R. Thorne
Cover artist	Glen Orbik
Language	English
Genre	Thriller
Publisher	Hard Case Crime
Publication date	April 2010
Publication place	United States
Pages	366
ISBN	978-0857683458

Last updated October 25, 2024

Memory is a thriller novel by American writer Donald E. Westlake, published posthumously in April 2010.^[2]^[4] The novel was written in 1963 and was shopped to publishers by Westlake's then-agent, Scott Meredith, but none of them bought it despite editors praising the novel.^[5] In the late 1970s, Westlake's agent, Henry Morrison, thought he could sell the novel, but Westlake declined the offer claiming it was "too dated".^[5] The manuscript for Memory was found among Westlake's papers shortly after his death on December 31, 2008.^[6] Hard Case Crime bought Memory in 2009,^[7]^[8] then believed to be Westlake's final unpublished manuscript,^[9] and published it in 2010.^[2]

Plot

Actor Paul Cole has lost his memory after being violently attacked by a jealous husband who caught Paul with his wife. Stranded in a small town and hounded by police, Paul struggles to recover his identity under the watchful hostile eye of the police and get back home to New York to reclaim the life he's lost.

Film adaptation

Director Duke Johnson and producer Abigail Spencer optioned the novel Memory in 2015.^[11] On February 24, 2021, Deadline reported that Ryan Gosling had signed on to star in The Actor , with Duke Johnson directing a screenplay he wrote with Stephen Cooney, based on Donald E. Westlake's novel Memory.^[12] On October 18, 2022, Spencer said in an interview with the website The Retaility that the film was in pre-production in Budapest with André Holland and Gemma Chan as the leads.^[11] Filming wrapped in April 2023.^[13]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref
2011	Kitschies	Black Tentacle	Won	^[14]

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References

↑ "Memory by Donald E. Westlake Read by Stephen R. Thorne". AudioFile Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
1 2 3 4 5 "Memory". Hard Case Crime . Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
↑ Tucker, Ken (March 17, 2010). "Memory". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
↑ Callahan, Tom (January 7, 2011). "Memory". Book Reporter. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
1 2 Breen, Jon (December 3, 2012). "Westlake Lives!". Washington Examiner . Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
↑ "Memory (2010) – Hard Case Crime". donaldwestlake.com. 21 October 2011. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
↑ Tucker, Ken (July 20, 2009). "A lost novel by Donald E. Westlake found, to be published". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
↑ Kellogg, Carolyn (July 20, 2009). "Donald Westlake may be dead, but he keeps on publishing". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
↑ "Lost Donald E. Westlake Novel Discovered". Titan Books. April 21, 2011. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
↑ "Shooting of "The Actor" Moving to Budapest This Quarter". Budapest Reporter. November 16, 2022. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
1 2 Scharf, Lindzi (October 18, 2022). "Abigail Spencer". The Retaility. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023. She's also in pre-production for "The Actor," a film she's producing with her production company, Innerlight Films, which first optioned Donald E. Westlake's novel "Memory" seven years ago.
↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 24, 2021). "Ryan Gosling To Star In 'The Actor' With Duke Johnson To Direct Adaptation Of Donald E. Westlake Novel 'Memory:' Hot EFM Package". Deadline . Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
↑ Neon (April 4, 2023). "That's a wrap on THE ACTOR..." Twitter . Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
↑ "The Kitschies: 2010 Black Tentacle Winner". Pornokitsch . January 31, 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022.

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[1] "Memory by Donald E. Westlake Read by Stephen R. Thorne". AudioFile Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.

[hardcasecrime-2] 1 2 3 4 5 "Memory". Hard Case Crime . Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2023.

[3] Tucker, Ken (March 17, 2010). "Memory". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.

[4] Callahan, Tom (January 7, 2011). "Memory". Book Reporter. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.

[washingtonexaminer-5] 1 2 Breen, Jon (December 3, 2012). "Westlake Lives!". Washington Examiner . Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.

[6] "Memory (2010) – Hard Case Crime". donaldwestlake.com. 21 October 2011. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.

[7] Tucker, Ken (July 20, 2009). "A lost novel by Donald E. Westlake found, to be published". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.

[8] Kellogg, Carolyn (July 20, 2009). "Donald Westlake may be dead, but he keeps on publishing". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.

[9] "Lost Donald E. Westlake Novel Discovered". Titan Books. April 21, 2011. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.

[10] "Shooting of "The Actor" Moving to Budapest This Quarter". Budapest Reporter. November 16, 2022. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2023.

[abigail-spencer-11] 1 2 Scharf, Lindzi (October 18, 2022). "Abigail Spencer". The Retaility. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023. She's also in pre-production for "The Actor," a film she's producing with her production company, Innerlight Films, which first optioned Donald E. Westlake's novel "Memory" seven years ago.

[12] Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 24, 2021). "Ryan Gosling To Star In 'The Actor' With Duke Johnson To Direct Adaptation Of Donald E. Westlake Novel 'Memory:' Hot EFM Package". Deadline . Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.

[13] Neon (April 4, 2023). "That's a wrap on THE ACTOR..." Twitter . Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.

[14] "The Kitschies: 2010 Black Tentacle Winner". Pornokitsch . January 31, 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022.

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