Raymond Chandler
American-British novelist and screenwriter, creator of Philip Marlowe.
Raymond Chandler (1888–1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he lived in the United States until age seven, when his parents separated and his Anglo-Irish mother brought him to live near London. He was educated at Dulwich College from 1900. After brief work for the British Civil Service, he became a part-time teacher at Dulwich, supplementing his income as a journalist and writer—mostly for *The Westminster Gazette* and *The Academy*. His early output—poems and essays—was not to his taste; biographer Paul Bishop calls it "lifeless," and *Contemporary Authors* describes it as "lofty in subject and mawkish in tone." Chandler returned to the U.S. in 1912, trained as an accountant in Los Angeles, enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1917, saw combat in France, was wounded, and was in flight training with the Royal Air Force when the war ended.
- born
- July 23, 1888
- died
- March 26, 1959
- field
- Novelist, screenwriter
- nationality
- American-British
- known_for
- creator of Philip Marlowe
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
After returning to the U.S. in 1919, Chandler tried to restart his literary career but instead took a job with an oil company until he was fired in 1932 following a bout of depression, womanizing, and heavy drinking. He began writing crime stories for pulp magazines including *Black Mask*, *Detective Fiction Weekly*, *The Fortnightly Intruder*, and *Dime Detective*. Between 1933 and 1941, he wrote 22 short stories; in the next 17 years he wrote only three more. In the mid-1940s, some of the first 22 appeared in inexpensive paperback and hardcover collections from Avon Books and World Publishing Co. In 1950, Houghton Mifflin published *The Simple Art of Murder*, a hardcover collection of a dozen stories selected by Chandler plus an essay on mystery stories. Eight stories he had "cannibalized" (his term) while writing his novels were omitted at his request; after his death they were published in *Killer in the Rain* (1964). In 1939, at the behest of publisher Alfred A. Knopf, Sr., Chandler wrote his first novel, *The Big Sleep*, using parts of his short stories "Killer in the Rain" (1935) and "The Curtain" (1936). He went on to write seven novels, all featuring detective Philip Marlowe.
Reader's Guide
In 1944, Paramount Pictures asked Chandler to write the script for *Double Indemnity* with Billy Wilder; the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. It was the first of seven scripts Chandler wrote, though two were unused. In 1959, Chandler died of pneumonia brought on by alcoholism. After his death, many unpublished writings—letters, literary criticism, prose, and poetry—were released. His short story collections include *The Simple Art of Murder* (1950) and the posthumous *Killer in the Rain* (1964). Two early works—the short story "The Rose-Leaf Romance" and the poem "Organ Music"—were included in a collection, but their first printing is unknown.
Did You Know?
- Chandler was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to England at age seven after his parents separated.
- He was educated at Dulwich College from 1900 and later worked as a part-time teacher there.
- Chandler wrote 22 short stories between 1933 and 1941, but only three more in the following 17 years.
- His first novel, *The Big Sleep* (1939), used parts of his short stories 'Killer in the Rain' and 'The Curtain'.
- Chandler co-wrote the screenplay for *Double Indemnity* (1944) with Billy Wilder, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
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