Books

February 23, 2009

The Brooklyn-Baltimore Connection

Crime-fiction luminary Charlie Stella has gone from bookmaker to book writer.

Adam Rosen

Charlie Stella is a 52-year-old who can bench-press more than 400 pounds. Perhaps even more astonishing, he's an accomplished novelist who can bench 400 pounds. (Jonathan Safran Foer, presumably, cannot claim likewise).

Much like his hobby, Charlie Stella's background isn't exactly congruent with his literary bona fides. Born in Little Italy back when Italians lived there, Stella, now 52, grew up in Canarsie, Brooklyn, the setting for mob paradigm Goodfellas. While not a wiseguy himself, Stella was a "knockaround" guy: "anybody you know doing technically illegal things to make ends meet." In his case, it was bookmaking.







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- Books
- posted on Feb 24, 09
Charlie Stella

Adam is very kind in the above ... I weigh close to 400 pounds (so the benching isn't nearly as impressive as it might seem) ... and as for "acclaimed", well, maybe reviewed well, but I work 7 days a week as a word processor to support my writing addiction (so acclaimed is a relative word).

But I will be forming a blues-jazz band during the summer so anyone interested, email me, please (no drummers, that's my slot).

- Books
- posted on Feb 24, 09
Charlie Stella

Hey, one more thing ... Charlie Opera was on the Publisher's Weekly ten best of the year (not "best of") ... I don't wanna ruffle feathers.

- Books
- posted on Aug 11, 09
Dave Calvert

Man do i remember Brooklyn back in the day sitting on the stoop hangin with friends the when i was around 16 or so they started rebuilding the inner harbour then it was like brooklyn went all to hell drug dealers crack came out in the 80s man i can tell you some stories if you r interested to hear those stories mr rosen get hold of me by my e-mail heck i,d say you could write a book with what i been thrue

Article by Adam Rosen

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