Layman, Richard

New York. 1981. Harcourt Brace & Jovanovich. 1st Edition. Very Good in Dustjacket. 0151814597. 285 pages. hardcover. Jacket design by Rubin Pfeffer. keywords: Mystery Biography America. FROM THE PUBLISHER - The first full account of the life and career of the enigmatic mystery writer who transformed the detective novel into a uniquely American art form. Forced by ill health to give up working as a Pinkerton detective at the age of 28, Dashiell Hammett began writing mystery fiction to support himself. Turning his back on the so-called Golden Age of mystery fiction, with its amateur sleuths, convoluted puzzlelike plots, and country-manor settings, Hammett developed a style of hard realism and sharp characterization, drawing on his experiences as a detective to portray the ‘mud and blood and death and deceit' of the real criminal world. As Raymond Chandler observed, Hammett ‘gave murder back to the people who commit it for reasons, not just to provide a corpse.' When he submitted his first novel, RED HARVEST, to Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1928, Hammett told Blanche Knopf that his ambition was to elevate mystery fiction to the level of art. Six years and four novels later, it was widely acknowledged that he had done just that. At 39, Hammett stopped writing fiction. He had achieved literary celebrity, along with the earning power it brought, and saw no reason to deny himself the fruits of his success. He lived flamboyantly on Hollywood money for half a decade before fervently dedicating himself to an array of left-wing causes. The depth of his political commitment was demonstrated in 1951, when he chose to go to prison rather than testify before a United States District Court about his political activities. He was jailed for 155 days. When he was released, his money and his health were gone forever, and he spent the last years before his death, in 1961, as a virtual recluse. The facts of Hammett's life have often been distorted. SHADOW MAN sets the record straight. Army records, veterans' records, FBI files, and court proceedings form the solid foundation for this book, amplified by letters from Hammett's associates and interviews with people who knew him - or thought they did. inventory #5237 ISBN: 0151814597.