About
Patricia Highsmith, born Mary Patricia Plangman in Fort Worth, Texas, was an American novelist and short story writer. A graduate of Barnard College in 1942, she published her first novel, Strangers on a Train, in 1950, which was adapted into a film by Alfred Hitchcock. Her novel The Price of Salt (1952), published under the pseudonym Claire Morgan, is widely regarded as the first lesbian novel with a happy ending. She is best known for her five-novel series featuring the amoral criminal Tom Ripley, beginning with The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955). Settled in Europe from 1963, she died in Locarno in 1995. Her work earned several awards, including the Grand Prix de littérature policière and the Silver Dagger.
* 1921-01-19 — † 1995-02-04
Major works
- Strangers on a Train (1950)novel
- The Price of Salt (1952)novel
- The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955)novel
- Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction (1966)writing guide
Key milestones
- 1950Publication of her first novel, Strangers on a Train.
- 1952Publication of The Price of Salt under the pseudonym Claire Morgan.
- 1990Appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France.
Themes
Crime and guiltIdentity and impostureAmoralityLoneliness and alienationPsychological suspense
Sources: id.loc.gov · britannica.com