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The fires that ripped across California have produced a round of commentary about the perils that come with living in this state. It is nothing new. California has inspired a whole genre of literature and film over the years: dark and apocalyptic, with a disaster lurking behind every stunning sunset illuminating those late-afternoon winter surfers on the Pacific.



“Wildfires are the price Angelenos pay to live in a city that straddles mountains, builds housing into hillsides, and threads communities through brush-filled canyons,” The Atlantic wrote this month. “We pick this poison, in place of living with tornadoes or hurricanes or winter storms where ice falls from the sky and blankets whole regions.”

Over the decades, California — in films and books — has been pummeled by earthquakes, tidal waves and fires. It has been invaded by aliens. Film noir has flourished, particularly in Los Angeles, a city that seems perfect for setting dark, creepy and pessimistic films.

Why are people picking on California? Well, for one thing, there is some truth here: This state is a place of wildfires, mudslides, catastrophic flooding and earthquakes.