Page 16 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 7, 2023 ~ Op-Ed ~ Why is there no statue of Erle Stanley Gardner? By Christian Chapras I n my 10+ years in Boston, I have noticed that Boston has a peculiar relationship with its native-born artists. Around 150 years elapsed before there was a monument to Edgar Allen Poe’s birthplace. On Harvard Bridge, there was a plaque commemorating the spot William Faulkner’s immortal character Quentin Compson committed suicide, drowning himself in the Charles, because he believed he committed incest with his sister. For the record, he didn’t. When the bridge was restored several years ago, I heard a rumor that the plaque was removed and would not be replaced. One of the most glaring examples of this is a little-known author (at least from inquiring random people, librarians and booksellers) whom I demand we celebrate. His name is Erle Stanley Gardner. Some of you may recognize his most famous creation, the lawyer/detective Perry Mason. Gardner passed the Bar at age 21, only attending Valparaiso University School of Law for one month. He spent the rest of his life practicing law and writing novels. At his peak, he wrote six novels at once, dictating them to secretaries. During this time, he sold 20,000 copies of his work per day. When Hollywood came calling, he acted as creative consultant on the landmark “Perry Mason” TV series, the first of its kind in the English-speaking world. He insisted underrepresented minorities appear in guest roles. In the early Mason novels Della Street (Mason’s secretary, and love interest) seems to be one of the earliest, if not the earliest, action heroines. As a trial lawyer, he often defended impoverished people, in particular Chinese and Mexican immigrants. Those experiences led him to found “The Court of Last Resort,” which reopened cases where suspicion of wrongful convictions had occurred. He got people off death row. Among the cases he drew attention to was Sam Sheppard. Defended by F. Lee Bailey, his case inspired the TV series “The Fugitive” and the subsequent Oscar winning film. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has cited Perry Mason as influential in her decision to join the legal profession. Gardner’s works to date have sold over 300 million copies, third only to R.L. Stine, and J.K. Rowling, as the highest selling individual author in the English language. You may have noticed that the other two are children’s authors. Which means, Gardner is the highest selling individual author of adult targeted fiction in the English language. Where was he born? Malden, Massachusetts. He may have written, and lived in, California for most of his life, but he was born here. There are no statues of Gardner. No Gardner Day, which is July 17th. There are no festivals. No Perry Mason, Della Street or Paul Drake look-alike contests. The only librarians in either The Minuteman, or BPL, library networks who know of him are in Malden. The librarians are doing their best to draw attention to Gardner’s life and works. This is an outrage! As far as I’m concerned, Gardner should be Massachusetts’ state author; not only for his prolific output, but his strength of character, moral conscience, and influence on our daily lives; all the way up to The Supreme Court. And every legal procedural drama on TV. No Perry Mason, no Law & Order. I’m sure most of you don’t want to imagine a world like that. Acknowledging and understanding the past gives an understanding of the present. Do you understand the world you live in? You live in a world shaped by Erle Stanley Gardner. You live in a world shaped by Perry Mason. His influence is global. We deserve to know him, read his entertaining work, and celebrate his legacy. For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 617-387-2200 or Info@advocatenews.net
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