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1962 publicity photo of Patricia Highsmith
1962 publicity photo of Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 - February 4, 1995) was an American novelist known for her psychological thrillers, which have led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre Strangers on a Train has been adapted to the screen three times, notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951. Strangers on a Train ( 1950) is a Psychological thriller Novel by Patricia Highsmith. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 In addition to her acclaimed series about murderer Tom Ripley, she wrote many short stories, often macabre, satirical or tinged with black humor. Character overview Highsmith characterizes Ripley as a "suave agreeable and utterly amoral" Con artist who always gets away with his crimes including Murder The short story is a literary genre of Fictional Prose Narrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction such Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Black comedy, also known as black humor or dark comedy, is a sub-genre of Comedy and Satire where topics and events that are usually regarded

Contents

Early life

Born Mary Patricia Plangman just outside Fort Worth, Texas, she was raised first by her maternal grandmother and later by her mother and stepfather, who were both commercial artists. Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas and the seventeenth-largest city in the United States. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Highsmith's mother Mary divorced her father five months before her birth. The young Highsmith had an intense, complicated relationship with her mother and resented her stepfather, although in later years she sometimes tried to win him over to her side of the argument in her confrontations with her mother. According to Highsmith, her mother once told her that she had tried to abort her by drinking turpentine. An Turpentine (also called spirit of turpentine oil of turpentine wood turpentine gum turpentine is a fluid obtained by the Distillation of Resin obtained from trees Highsmith never resolved this love-hate relationship, which haunted her for the rest of her life, and which she fictionalized in her short story The Terrapin, about a young boy who stabs his mother to death. A love-hate relationship is a personal relationship involving simultaneous or alternating Emotions of Love and enmity The short story is a literary genre of Fictional Prose Narrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction such The Terrapin is a Short story by Patricia Highsmith. Based on the difficult relationship she had with her own mother the story revolves around a young boy Victor

Highsmith's grandmother taught her to read at an early age. Highsmith made good use of the extensive library of her mother and stepfather. At the age of eight, she discovered Karl Menninger's The Human Mind and was fascinated by the case studies of patients afflicted with mental disorders such as pyromania and schizophrenia. Karl Augustus Menninger ( July 22, 1893 - July 18, 1990) born in Topeka Kansas, was an American Psychiatrist Mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress or disability that is not expected as Pyromania is an impulse to deliberately start fires to relieve tension and typically includes gratification or relief afterward Schizophrenia ( from the Greek roots schizein (σχίζειν "to split" and phrēn

Comic books

In 1942, Highsmith graduated from Barnard College, where she studied English composition, playwriting and the short story. Barnard College is a women's liberal arts college founded in 1889 Living in New York City and Mexico between 1942 and 1948, she wrote for comic book publishers, turning out two stories a day for $55-a-week paychecks. The City of New York The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. With Nedor/Standard/Pines (1942-43), she wrote Sgt. Bill King stories and contributed to Black Terror. The Black Terror is a Fictional character who originally appeared in Exciting Comics #9 published by Nedor Comics in January 1941 For Real Fact, Real Heroes and True Comics, she wrote comic book profiles of Einstein, Galileo, Barney Ross, Edward Rickenbacker, Oliver Cromwell, Sir Isaac Newton, David Livingstone and others. Albert Einstein ( German: ˈalbɐt ˈaɪ̯nʃtaɪ̯n; English: ˈælbɝt ˈaɪnstaɪn (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955 was a German -born theoretical Galileo Galilei (15 February 1564 &ndash 8 January 1642 was a Tuscan ( Italian) Physicist, Mathematician, Astronomer, and Philosopher A hero in the ring and outside of it the life of one of the world's greatest boxers Barney Ross born Dov-Ber Rasofsky (December 23 1909&ndashJanuary 17 1967 is a drama of epic proportion Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (October 8 1890 &ndash July 27 1973 was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 Old Style &ndash 3 September 1658 Old Style) was an English military and political leader best known Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (ˈnjuːtən 4 January 1643 31 March 1727) Biography Early years See also Isaac Newton's early life and achievements Dr David Livingstone (19 March 1813 &ndash 1 May 1873 was a British Congregationalist pioneer medical Missionary with the London Missionary Society In 1943-45 she wrote for Fawcett Publications, scripting for such Fawcett Comics characters as the Golden Arrow, Spy Smasher, Captain Midnight, Crisco and Jasper. Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett (1885-1940 Fawcett Comics, a subsidiary of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful Comics publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s Golden Arrow is a Fictional character who had his own strip in Fawcett Comics ' Whiz Comics comic book series from 1940 to 1953 Spy Smasher is the name of two fictional characters appearing in comics published by DC Comics. She wrote for Western Comics in 1945-47. When she later wrote The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955), one of the first victims of a scam by Tom Ripley is comic book artist Frederick Reddington, an amusing parting gesture directed at the earlier career she had abandoned: "Tom had a hunch about Reddington. The Talented Mr Ripley is a Novel by Patricia Highsmith, published in 1955. Character overview Highsmith characterizes Ripley as a "suave agreeable and utterly amoral" Con artist who always gets away with his crimes including Murder He was a comic-book artist. He probably didn't know whether he was coming or going. " [1]

Novels and adaptations

At Truman Capote's suggestion, she rewrote her first novel, Strangers on a Train, at the Yaddo writer's colony in Saratoga Springs, New York. Truman Capote (ˈtruːmən kəˈpoʊti ( 30 September, 1924, New Orleans Louisiana – 25 August, 1984, Los Angeles Yaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre (16 km² estate in Saratoga Springs New York. Saratoga Springs is a City in Saratoga County, New York, USA. [2] The book proved modestly successful when it was published in 1950. However, it was due to Hitchcock and his 1951 film adaptation of the novel that Highsmith's career and reputation catapulted. Strangers on a Train is a Film released in 1951 by Warner Bros Soon she became known as a writer of ironic, disturbing psychological mysteries highlighted by stark, startling prose. Other filmmakers — primarily European — followed suit as several Highsmith novels, including The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955), Ripley's Game (1974) and Edith's Diary (1977) were adapted for films. The Talented Mr Ripley is a Novel by Patricia Highsmith, published in 1955. Ripley's Game, written in 1974 is the third novel in Patricia Highsmith 's Tom Ripley series (the Ripliad)

She was a lifelong diarist, and developed her writing style as a child writing entries in which she fantasized that her neighbours had psychological problems and murderous personalities behind their facades of normality, a theme she would explore extensively in her novels. For other uses of the term 'diary' see Diary (disambiguation. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting A theme, from Old French tesme, is a broad idea in a story or literary work or a message or lesson conveyed by a written text

Highsmith included homosexual overtones in many of her novels and addressed the theme directly in The Price of Salt and the posthumously published Small g: a Summer Idyll. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. The Price of Salt is a novel written by Patricia Highsmith under the pen-name Claire Morgan The Price is known for its happy ending, the first of its kind in homosexual/lesbian fiction. A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women Fiction is the telling of stories which are not real More specifically fiction is an imaginative form of Narrative, one of the four basic Rhetorical modes. Published in 1953 under the pseudonym Claire Morgan, it sold almost a million copies. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) The inspiration for the book's main character, Carol, was a woman Highsmith saw in Bloomingdales, where she worked at the time. Bloomingdale's (or Bloomie's) is a chain of upscale American Department stores owned by Macy's Inc Highsmith found out her address from the credit card details, and on two occasions after the book was written (in June, 1950 and January, 1951) spied on the woman without the latter's knowledge. A credit card is part of a system of Payments named after the small Plastic card issued to users of the system

The protagonists in many of Highsmith's novels are either morally compromised by circumstance or actively flouting the law. The Protagonist or main character is the central figure of a story. Many of her antiheroes commit murder in fits of passion, or simply to extricate themselves from a bad situation. Murder is the unlawful killing of another human person with Malice aforethought, as defined in Common Law countries They are just as likely to escape justice as to receive it.

Her recurring character Tom Ripley — an amoral, sexually ambiguous con artist and erstwhile murderer — was featured in a total of five novels, known to fans as the Ripliad, written between 1955 and 1991. A confidence trick or confidence game (also known as a bunko, con, flim flam, gaffle, grift, scam, scheme Character overview Highsmith characterizes Ripley as a "suave agreeable and utterly amoral" Con artist who always gets away with his crimes including Murder He was introduced in The Talented Mr. Ripley (Coward-McCann, 1955). The Talented Mr Ripley is a Novel by Patricia Highsmith, published in 1955. After a January 9, 1956 TV adaptation on Studio One, it was filmed by René Clément as Plein Soleil (1960, aka Purple Noon and Blazing Sun) with Alain Delon, whom Highsmith praised as the ideal Ripley. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Studio One is a long-running American dramatic radio - television Anthology series, created in 1947 by the 26-year-old Canadian René Clément (born March 18, 1913, Bordeaux, in the Gironde département of France - died March 17, 1996 Alain Delon (born 8 November 1935) is a César Award -winning French Actor. The novel was adapted under its original title as a 1999 film by Anthony Minghella, starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Cate Blanchett. The Talented Mr Ripley is a 1999 film directed by Anthony Minghella. Anthony Minghella CBE ( January 6, 1954 &mdash March 18, 2008) was an Academy Award -winning English Matthew Paige Damon (born October 8 1970 is an American Actor and Philanthropist. Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (born September 27 1972 is an Academy Award - Golden Globe - and double Screen Actors Guild Award -winning American Jude Law (born 29 December 1972 is an English Actor. He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987 and had his first TV role in 1989 Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett (born 14 May 1969 is an Academy Award -winning Australian Actress and Stage director.

A later Ripley novel, Ripley's Game, was filmed by Wim Wenders as The American Friend (1977). Ripley's Game, written in 1974 is the third novel in Patricia Highsmith 's Tom Ripley series (the Ripliad) Ernst Wilhelm ("Wim" Wenders (born August 14, 1945) is a German Film director, Playwright, Author, The American Friend ( Der Amerikanische Freund) is a 1977 film by Wim Wenders, loosely adapted from the novel Ripley's Game by Under its original title, it was filmed again in 2002, directed by Liliana Cavani with John Malkovich in the title role. Ripley's Game (2002 is a Feature film based on the 1974 novel of the same name; the third in Patricia Highsmith 's "Ripliad" Liliana Cavani (born 1933 in Carpi, Modena) is an Italian director and screenwriter best known for her 1974 feature film Il portiere di notte ( John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an Emmy Award -winning two-time Academy Award -nominated American Actor Ripley Under Ground (2005), starring Barry Pepper as Ripley was shown at the 2005 AFI Film Festival but has not had a general release. Ripley Under Ground is the second novel in the Ripliad by Patricia Highsmith. Barry Robert Pepper (born April 4, 1970) is a Golden Globe - Screen Actors Guild - and Emmy -nominated Canadian -born The American Film Institute ( AFI) is an independent Non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967

Personal life

According to her biography, Beautiful Shadow, Highsmith's personal life was a troubled one; she was an alcoholic who never had a relationship that lasted for more than a few years, and was seen by some of her contemporaries and acquaintances as misanthropic and cruel. A biography (from the Greek words bíos (βίος meaning "life" and gráphein (γράφειν meaning "to write" is an account Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Misanthropy is a general dislike distrust or hatred of the Human species or a disposition to dislike and/or distrust other people She famously preferred the company of animals to that of people, and once said, "My imagination functions much better when I don't have to speak to people. "

"She was a mean, hard, cruel, unlovable, unloving person," said acquaintance Otto Penzler. "I could never penetrate how a human being could be that relentlessly ugly. " [3]

Highsmith never married but had a number of affairs with both men and women. In 1949 she became close to the novelist Marc Brandel. Between 1959 and 1961, she had a relationship with Marijane Meaker, who wrote under the pseudonyms of Vin Packer and Ann Aldrich, but later wrote young adult fiction with the name M. Marijane Meaker (born May 27 1927) is an American Novelist and Short story Writer, who has used multiple Pseudonyms E. Kerr. Meaker wrote of their affair in her memoir Highsmith: A Romance of the 1950s.

She is sometimes labelled antisemitic because of her outspoken support of Palestinian liberation; She nevertheless had Jewish friends such as author Arthur Koestler, and admired Jewish writers such as Franz Kafka and Saul Bellow. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility Palestinian people or Palestinians ( الشعب الفلسطيني, ash-sha`b al-filasTīni; الفلسطينيون, al-filasTīnīyyūn PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Arthur Koestler CBE ( September 5, 1905, Budapest &ndash March 3, 1983, London) was a Saul Bellow, born Solomon Bellows ( June 10, 1915 – April 5, 2005) was an acclaimed Canadian -born American [4] She was accused of misogyny because of her satirical collection of short stories Little Tales of Misogyny. Misogyny (mɪˈsɒdʒɪni is hatred (or contemptof women Misogyny is parallel to Misandry — the hatred of men

Though her writing — 22 novels and 7 books of short stories — was highly acclaimed, especially outside of the United States, Highsmith preferred for her personal life to remain private. She had friendships and correspondences with several writers, and was also greatly inspired by art and the animal kingdom. Highsmith believed in American democratic ideals and in the promise of US history, but she was also highly critical of the reality of 20th-century American culture and foreign policy. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Foreign Policy is a bimonthly American Magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P In 1963 she moved to Europe, where she spent the rest of her life.

Highsmith died of leukemia in Locarno, Switzerland. Leukemia or leukaemia (Greek leukos λευκός, "white" aima αίμα, "blood" is a Cancer of the Blood Locarno is the capital of the Locarno district, located on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore ( Lago Maggiore) in the Swiss canton of In gratitude to the place that helped inspire her writing career, she left her estate, worth an estimated $3 million, to the Yaddo colony. Her last novel, Small g: a Summer Idyll, was published posthumously a month later.

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Bibliography

Novels

Children's book of verse and drawings:

Writing manual:

Story collections

Short story collections assembled by her publishers after her death:

Awards

References

  1. ^ Highsmith, Patricia. The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars) named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. The Gold Dagger Award was an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association for best Crime novel of the year The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Literature is an Order of France, established on May 2, 1957 by the Minister The Talented Mr. Ripley, Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, 1992.
  2. ^ Yaddo Writers: June 1926-December 2007.
  3. ^ Mystery Girl | The Talented Mr. Ripley | Biz | News | Entertainment Weekly
  4. ^ http://www.jewishtribalreview.org/antisem6.htm

External links

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