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â[A] smart, conscientious, often stylish biographyâ of the great African American crime writer of the mid-twentieth century (The New York Times).  Best known for The Harlem Cycle, the series of crime stories featuring Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, Chester Himes was a novelist and memoirist whose work was neglected and underappreciated in his native America during the 1950s and â60s, even as he was awarded Franceâs most prestigious crime fiction prize. In this major biography, literary critic and fellow writer James Sallis examines the life of this âfascinating figure,â combining interviews of those who knew Himes bestâincluding his second wifeâwith insightful and poignant writing (Publishers Weekly).  âHimes wrote some of the 20th centuryâs most memorable crime fiction and has been compared to Jim Thompson, Raymond Chandler, and Dashiell Hammett. His life was just as spectacular as his novels. Sentenced to 25 years in prison for armed robbery when he was 19, he turned to writing while behind bars and, when released after serving eight years, published two novels. Their poor reception by the white establishment only confirmed Himesâs beliefs about racism in America. He eventually moved to Paris, spending most of the rest of his life abroad. While in Paris, he began to produce the crime fiction that would make him famous, including A Rage in Harlem and Cotton Comes to Harlem . . . [a] riveting biography.â âLibrary Journal (starred review)  âSatisfying, thoughtful, long-overdue.â âPublishers Weekly  âAs intelligent, and as much fun to read, as a book by Himes himself. There is no higher praise.â âThe Times (London) |
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