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“[A] smart, conscientious, often stylish biography” of the great African American crime writer of the mid-twentieth century (The New York Times).
Best known for The Harlem Cycle, the series of crime stories featuring Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, Chester Himes was a novelist and memoirist whose work was neglected and underappreciated in his native America during the 1950s and ’60s, even as he was awarded France’s most prestigious crime fiction prize. In this major biography, literary critic and fellow writer James Sallis examines the life of this “fascinating figure,” combining interviews of those who knew Himes best—including his second wife—with insightful and poignant writing (Publishers Weekly).
“Himes wrote some of the 20th century’s most memorable crime fiction and has been compared to Jim Thompson, Raymond Chandler, and Dashiell Hammett. His life was just as spectacular as his novels. Sentenced to 25 years in prison for armed robbery when he was 19, he turned to writing while behind bars and, when released after serving eight years, published two novels. Their poor reception by the white establishment only confirmed Himes’s beliefs about racism in America. He eventually moved to Paris, spending most of the rest of his life abroad. While in Paris, he began to produce the crime fiction that would make him famous, including A Rage in Harlem and Cotton Comes to Harlem . . . [a] riveting biography.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Satisfying, thoughtful, long-overdue.” —Publishers Weekly
“As intelligent, and as much fun to read, as a book by Himes himself. There is no higher praise.” —The Times (London)
Best known for The Harlem Cycle, the series of crime stories featuring Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, Chester Himes was a novelist and memoirist whose work was neglected and underappreciated in his native America during the 1950s and ’60s, even as he was awarded France’s most prestigious crime fiction prize. In this major biography, literary critic and fellow writer James Sallis examines the life of this “fascinating figure,” combining interviews of those who knew Himes best—including his second wife—with insightful and poignant writing (Publishers Weekly).
“Himes wrote some of the 20th century’s most memorable crime fiction and has been compared to Jim Thompson, Raymond Chandler, and Dashiell Hammett. His life was just as spectacular as his novels. Sentenced to 25 years in prison for armed robbery when he was 19, he turned to writing while behind bars and, when released after serving eight years, published two novels. Their poor reception by the white establishment only confirmed Himes’s beliefs about racism in America. He eventually moved to Paris, spending most of the rest of his life abroad. While in Paris, he began to produce the crime fiction that would make him famous, including A Rage in Harlem and Cotton Comes to Harlem . . . [a] riveting biography.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Satisfying, thoughtful, long-overdue.” —Publishers Weekly
“As intelligent, and as much fun to read, as a book by Himes himself. There is no higher praise.” —The Times (London)
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About James Sallis
James Sallis (b. 1944) has published seventeen novels; multiple collections of short stories, essays, and poems; books of musicology; a biography of Chester Himes; and a translation of Raymond Queneau’s novel Saint Glinglin. Sallis has written about books for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the WashingtonPost, and served as a books columnist for the Boston Globe. In 2007, he received a lifetime achievement award from Bouchercon. His novel Drive was adapted as the acclaimed feature film of the same name. Sallis teaches writing at Arizona State University and plays regularly with his string band, Three-Legged Dog.
Other books by James Sallis
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