Dashiell Hammett

Dashiell Hammett

May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961
Countries: USA
Place of Birth: St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States
Place of Death: Manhattan, New York City], United States

Samuel Dashiell Hammett (dəˈʃiːl_ˈhæmɪt; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), and the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse).
Hammett "is now widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time". In his obituary in The New York Times, he was described as "the dean of the... 'hard-boiled' school of detective fiction." Time magazine included Hammett's 1929 novel Red Harvest on its list of the 100 best English-language novels published between 1923 and 2005. His novels and stories also had a significant influence on films, including (but not limited to) the genres of private-eye/detective fiction, mystery thrillers and film-noir.