THE MALTESE FALCON - In his best known book, Dashiell Hammett pens the stylish Sam Spade, protagonist of The Maltese Falcon. He’s tough enough to stand up to thugs or the police. He smells trouble when a buxom dame breezes into his office. Soon enough, his entire world will be turned upside down. Hammett wrote about detectives because he had been employed as one after responding to a vague classified ad. He had a notoriously short writing career, publishing four novels and all of his short stories within nine years. His poor health, struggle with alcoholism and community party membership led to his decline and eventual imprisonment in McCarthy era hysteria. In the final years of his life, he was hounded by the IRS for back taxes, dying penniless.
http://chadschimke.blogspot.in/2014/09/the-maltese-falcon-by-dashiell-hammett.html
Interesting........as a penniless author I can sympathise with Dashiell Hammett. Isn't that so often the way tough; the creative provider is the only one who doesn't benefit from his own success?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the background on an author many of us can definitely sympathize with. Not an easy life, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant movie that was. I never knew much about the author, so thanks for that :-)
ReplyDeleteThe Thin Man is one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteSo many writers have a similar bio. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking of McCarthyism lately. While many authors commisserate with the pennilessness. But was it more of his own making rather than not the sales of his stories? If he struggled with alcoholism then perhaps he squandered his royalities on booze. Then there's the back taxes which would also carry hefty fines I'm sure.
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