Trivia

He is considered among the most influential crime writers in American literature, with some critics claiming his superiority to the more popular Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.

After suffering a series of strokes, he starved himself to death.

Sold drugs and bootleg liquor as a teenager while working at the Hotel Texas.

Many of his early short stories were based on real murders but rewritten from a first-person perspective.

Was blacklisted during the "Red Scare" era of Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

Suffered a nervous breakdown at age 19.

Grew up in Fort Worth, Texas.

Was a member of the American Communist party for a time, but eventually broke with them.