Anna Katharine Green (November 11, 1846 – April 11, 1935) was an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

. She was one of the first writers of

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories. Green has been called "the mother of the detective novel".

Life and work

Green was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on November 11, 1846. She had an early ambition to write romantic verse and corresponded with

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

. When her poetry failed to gain recognition, she produced her first and best known novel, '' The Leavenworth Case'' (1878), praised by Wilkie Collins, and the hit of the year. She became a bestselling author, eventually publishing 37 books over 40 years. On November 25, 1884, Green married the actor and stove designer, and later noted furniture maker,

Charles Rohlfs Charles Rohlfs (February 15, 1853 – June 30, 1936), was an Americans, American actor, Patternmaker (engineering), patternmaker, stove designer and furniture maker. Rohlfs is a representative of the Arts and Crafts Movement, and is most f ...

(1853 – 1936). Rohlfs toured in a dramatization of Green's ''The Leavenworth Case''. After his theater career faltered, he became a furniture maker in 1897, and Green collaborated with him on some of his designs. Together they had one daughter and two sons: Rosamund Rohlfs, Roland Rohlfs, and Sterling Rohlfs. Her daughter Rosamund married Robert Twitty Palmer. Green died on April 11, 1935, in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, at the age of 88. Her husband died the following year.

Critical response

Though Green's book ''The Leavenworth Case'' is frequently cited as the first mystery written by an American woman, ''The Dead Letter'' by Seeley Regester was published earlier (1866). In a discussion of women writers of detective fiction, scholar Ellen Higgins in 1994 chronicled the work of Green as popularizing the genre a decade before

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

brought out his first

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

story. "I only found out afterward that some people were a little upset with it because they don't want to hear about women competing with the master", Higgins said. Green is credited with shaping detective fiction into its classic form, and developing the series detective. Her main character was detective Ebenezer Gryce of the New York Metropolitan Police Force, but in three novels he is assisted by the nosy society spinster Amelia Butterworth, the prototype for Miss Marple,

Miss Silver Miss Silver is a fictional detective featured in 32 novels by British novelist Patricia Wentworth. Character Miss Maud Silver is a retired governess-turned-private detective. Like Miss Marple, Miss Silver's age and demeanor make her appear harmles ...

and other creations. She also invented the '

girl detective ''Nancy Drew: Girl Detective'' is a 2004-2012 book series which replaced the long-running Nancy Drew mystery series. This new series is written in first person narration, from Nancy's point of view, and features updated versions of the main Nancy ...

': in the character of Violet Strange, a debutante with a secret life as a sleuth. Indeed, as journalist Kathy Hickman writes, Green "stamped the mystery genre with the distinctive features that would influence writers from

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

and Conan Doyle to contemporary authors of suspenseful "whodunits". In addition to creating elderly spinster and young female sleuths, Green's innovative plot devices included dead bodies in libraries, newspaper clippings as "clews", the coroner's inquest, and expert witnesses.

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

once used her books to demonstrate how damaging it can be to rely on circumstantial evidence. Written in 1878, her first book, ''The Leavenworth Case: A Lawyer's Story,'' sparked a debate in the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

over whether the book could "really have been written by a woman". Green was in some ways a progressive woman for her time—succeeding in a

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

dominated by male writers—but she did not approve of many of her

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

contemporaries, and she was opposed to

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

Legacy

In 2002, Buffalo Literary Walking Tours began an annual series of weekend walking tours highlighting authors with local connections. Green is included along with

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

, F. Scott Fitzgerald,

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American people, American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his bes ...

Taylor Caldwell Janet Miriam Caldwell (September 7, 1900August 30, 1985) was a British-born American novelist and prolific author of popular fiction under the pen names Taylor Caldwell, Marcus Holland and Max Reiner. She was also known by a variation of her mar ...

, and others. Green's short story "The Intangible Clue" featuring Violet Strange was adapted by

Chris Harrald Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...

for the second series of

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

's drama series ''The Rivals'' and starred

Jeany Spark Jeannette "Jeany" Spark (born 7 November 1982) is an English actress, known for portraying Linda Wallander in the British television series ''Wallander''. The actress has also had significant roles in the comedy series '' Man Down'' and the drama ...

as Violet Strange.

Selected works

;Detective and mystery novels * '' The Leavenworth Case'' (1878) Mr. Gryce #1 * ''A Strange Disappearance'' (1880) Mr. Gryce #2 * ''The Sword of Damocles: A Story of New York Life'' (1881) Mr. Gryce #3 * ''Hand and Ring'' (1883) Mr. Gryce #4 * ''Behind Closed Doors'' (1888) Mr. Gryce #5 * ''A Matter of Millions'' (1891) Mr. Gryce #6 * ''The Doctor, His Wife, and the Clock'' (1895) Mr. Gryce #7. Novellette, shorter than the others * ''That Affair Next Door'' (1897) (Amelia Butterworth I). Also Mr. Gryce #8 * ''Lost Man's Lane: a Second Episode in the Life of Amelia Butterworth'' (1898) Also Mr. Gryce #9 * ''The Circular Study'' (1900) (Amelia Butterworth III) Also Mr. Gryce #10 * ''One of my Sons'' (1901) Mr. Gryce #11 * ''Initials Only'' (color frontispiece by Arthur Keller) (1911) Mr. Gryce #12 * ''The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow'' (1917) Mr. Gryce #13 * ''X Y Z: A Detective Story'' (1883) * ''The Mill Mystery'' (1886) * ''7 to 12: A Detective Story'' (1887) * ''One Hour More'' (1887) * ''Forsaken Inn'' (1890) * ''Cynthia Wakeham's Money'' (1892) * ''Miss Hurd: An Enigma'' (1894) * ''Doctor Izard'' (1895) * ''Agatha Webb'' (1899) Caleb Sweetwater #1 * ''The Filigree Ball: Being a Full and True Account of the Solution of the Mystery Concerning the Jeffrey-Moore Affair'' (1903) * ''The Millionaire Baby'' (illustrations by Arthur I. Keller) (1905) * ''The Chief Legatee'' (1906) * ''The Woman in the Alcove'' (illustrations by Arthur I. Keller) (1906) Caleb Sweetwater #2 * ''The Mayor's Wife'' (illustrations by Alice Barber Stephens (1907) * ''The House of the Whispering Pines'' (1910) Caleb Sweetwater #3 * ''Three Thousand Dollars'' (1910) * ''Dark Hollow'' (1914) * ''The Step on the Stair'' (1923) ;Other novels * ''The Defence of the Bride, and other Poems'' (1882) * ''Risifi's Daughter, a Drama'' (1887) * '' Marked "Personal", A Drama Within a Drama.'' (1893) * ''To the Minute; Scarlet and Black: Two Tales of Life's Perplexities'' (1916) ;Short novels and short stories * ''The Old Stone House and Other Stories'' (1891) featuring: ** "The Old Stone House" ** "A Memorable Night" ** "The Black Cross" ** "A Mysterious Case" ** "Shall He Wed Her?" *''A Difficult Problem: The Staircase at the Heart's Delight, and Other Stories'' (1900) featuring: ** "A Difficult Problem" (1900) ** "The Grey Madam" (1899) ** "The Bronze Hand" (1897) ** "Midnight in Beauchamp Row" (1895) ** "The Staircase at the Hearts delight" (1894) ** "The Hermit of ― Street" (1898) * ''Room Number 3, and Other Detective stories'' (1913) featuring: **"Room Number 3" **"Midnight in Beauchamp Row" **"The Ruby and the Caldron" **"The Little Steel Coils" **"The Staircase at Heart's Delight" **"The Amethyst Box" **"The Grey Lady" **"The Thief" **"The House in the Mist" * ''Masterpieces of Mystery'' (1913) **Short story collection. The stories are also collected in ''Room number 3'' and ''A Difficult Problem''. *''The Golden Slipper, and Other Problems for Violet Strange'' (1915) featuring: (via Internet Archive) ** "The Golden Slipper" ** "The Second Bullet" ** "The Intangible Clew" ** "The Grotto Spectre" ** "The Dreaming Lady" ** "The House of Clocks" ** "The Doctor, His Wife, and the Clock" *shorter version of the novella. ** "Missing: Page Thirteen" ** "Violet's Own"

References

External links