Dashiell Hammett

Also known as Samuel Dashiell Hammett

American writer (1894–1961)

AI overview

Dashiell Hammett was an American writer who lived from 1894 to 1961 and is known for pioneering the hard-boiled detective fiction genre with works like *The Maltese Falcon* and *The Big Sleep*. His influence on American literature and crime writing remains significant, establishing conventions for detective stories that continue to shape popular fiction today.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: 1894-05-27
Died: 1961-01-10
Works: 232

Top works

al-Ḥiṣād al-aḥmar (Sām Sbāyd)
The novels of Dashiell Hammett
al-Miftāḥ al-zujājī (Sām Sbāyd)
Red Harvest
The Maltese Falcon

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Saint Mary's County, Maryland, USA

Samuel Dashiell Hammett (May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer 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), the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse) and the comic strip character Secret Agent X-9.…

Known for

The Case of Dashiell Hammett1982

via TMDB

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Gender: male
Citizenship: United States
Place of birth: Baltimore
Place of death: New York City
Occupation: prose writer
Political party: Communist Party of the United States of America
Languages spoken: English language
Religion: Catholic Church
Notable work: The Dain Curse
Genre: crime literature
Conflict: World War II
Military branch: United States Army
Image: Dashiell Hammett "Thin Man" portrait (cropped).jpg

Show 15 more facts

Commons category: Dashiell Hammett
cause of death: lung cancer
date of birth: 1894-06-25
date of death: 1961-01-10
topic's main category: Category:Dashiell Hammett
place of burial: Arlington National Cemetery
manner of death: natural causes
Commons gallery: Dashiell Hammett
nominated for: Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
start of work period: 1929-00-00
unmarried partner: Lillian Hellman
end of work period: 1961-00-00
archives at: Harry Ransom Center
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
Commons Creator page: Dashiell Hammett

Sources (4)

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Encyclopedic overview

Samuel Dashiell Hammett (/ˈdæʃəl ˈhæmɪt/ DASH-əl HAM-it; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the characters he created are Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), The Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse) and the comic strip character Secret Agent X-9.

Hammett is regarded as one of the very best mystery writers. In his obituary in The New York Times, he was described as "the dean of the... 'hard-boiled' school of detective fiction." Time included Hammett's 1929 novel Red Harvest on its list of the 100 best English-language novels published between 1923 and 2005. In 1990, the Crime Writers' Association picked three of his five novels for their list of The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time. Five years later, The Maltese Falcon placed second on The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time as selected by the Mystery Writers of America; Red Harvest, The Glass Key and The Thin Man were also on the list. His novels and stories also had a significant influence on mystery films, including the style that came to be known as film noir.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Dashiell Hammett” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.