It’s the birthday of critically acclaimed bestselling mystery/thriller author Trevanian (1931-2005), real name Rodney William Whitaker, who also wrote under several other pseudonyms to protect his privacy and as a creative way of getting into a book: he claimed he would dream up an imaginary author who would be perfect for writing a particular book, [...]
It’s the birthday of Danish author Peter Høeg (1957), best known for his internationally bestselling thriller Smilla’s Sense of Snow (1992, film adaptation 1997) and for his somewhat recluse behavior. Høeg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and educated at the University of Copenhagen, where he earned a master’s in lit in 1984. His first novel, [...]
It’s the birthday of suspense writer Cornell Woolrich (1903-1968), who was considered merely one of the better—not the best—noir novelists of the 1940s and 50s, but a bazillion of whose stories were adapted for the screen, including the story on which Rear Window is based (1954, Alfred Hitchcock). Woolrich was born in New York City [...]
It’s the birthday of Graham Greene (1904-1991), one of the most popular and respected British writers of the 20th century. Greene was born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England, and attended Berkhamsted School, where his father, Canon Charles Henry Greene, was the headmaster; he was bullied there and had a nervous breakdown. His parents sent him to [...]