Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her
psychological thrillers
Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting.
In terms of context and con ...
, including her series of five novels featuring the character
Tom Ripley
Thomas Ripley is a fictional character in a series of crime novels by American novelist Patricia Highsmith, as well as several film adaptations. He is a career criminal, con artist, and serial killer who always gets away with his crimes. The f ...
.
She wrote 22 novels and numerous short stories throughout her career spanning nearly five decades, and her work has led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her writing derived influence from
existentialist
Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...
literature,
and questioned notions of
identity
Identity may refer to:
* Identity document
* Identity (philosophy)
* Identity (social science)
* Identity (mathematics)
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film
* ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...
and popular
morality
Morality () is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between those that are distinguished as proper (right) and those that are improper (wrong). Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of cond ...
.
She was dubbed "the poet of
apprehension" by novelist
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...
.
Her first novel, ''
Strangers on a Train'', has been adapted for stage and screen, the best known being the
1951 film directed by
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
. Her 1955 novel ''
The Talented Mr. Ripley
''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. This novel introduced the character of Tom Ripley, who returns in four subsequent novels. It has been adapted numerous times for screen, including ''Purpl ...
'' has been adapted for film multiple times. Writing under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
Claire Morgan, Highsmith published the first
lesbian novel with a happy ending, ''
The Price of Salt
''The Price of Salt'' (later republished under the title ''Carol'') is a 1952 romance novel by Patricia Highsmith, first published under the pseudonym "Claire Morgan." Highsmith—known as a suspense writer based on her psychological thriller ...
'',
in 1952, republished 38 years later as ''Carol'' under her own name and later adapted into a
2015 film.
Early life
Highsmith was born Mary Patricia Plangman in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
. She was the only child of artists Jay Bernard Plangman (1889–1975), who was of German descent,
and Mary Plangman (''
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Coates; September 13, 1895 – March 12, 1991). The couple divorced ten days before their daughter's birth.
In 1927, Highsmith, her mother and her adoptive stepfather, artist Stanley Highsmith, whom her mother had married in 1924, moved to New York City.
[ When she was 12 years old, Highsmith was sent to Fort Worth and lived with her maternal grandmother for a year. She called this the "saddest year" of her life and felt "abandoned" by her mother. She returned to New York to continue living with her mother and stepfather, primarily in ]Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, but also in Astoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City to the southwest, Sunnyside to the southeast ...
.
According to Highsmith, her mother once told her that she had tried to abort her by drinking turpentine
Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a special ...
, although a biography of Highsmith indicates Jay Plangman tried to persuade his wife to have the abortion but she refused.[ Highsmith never resolved this ]love–hate relationship
A love–hate relationship is an interpersonal relationship involving simultaneous or alternating emotions of love and hate—something particularly common when emotions are intense.
The term is used frequently in psychology, popular writing and ...
, which reportedly haunted her for the rest of her life, and which she fictionalized in " The Terrapin", her short story about a young boy who stabs his mother to death.[ Highsmith's mother predeceased her by only four years, dying at the age of 95.]
Highsmith's grandmother taught her to read at an early age, and she made good use of her grandmother's extensive library. At the age of nine, she found a resemblance to her own imaginative life in the case histories of ''The Human Mind'' by Karl Menninger
Karl Augustus Menninger (July 22, 1893 – July 18, 1990) was an American psychiatrist and a member of the Menninger family of psychiatrists who founded the Menninger Foundation and the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas.
Biography
Menn ...
, a popularizer of Freudian
Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies explained as originating in conflicts i ...
analysis.[
Many of Highsmith's 22 novels were set in ]Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
, where she lived at 48 Grove Street from 1940 to 1942, before moving to 345 E. 57th Street. In 1942, Highsmith graduated from Barnard College
Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
, where she studied English composition
The term composition (from Latin ''com-'' "with" and ''ponere'' "to place") as it refers to writing, can describe writers' decisions about, processes for designing, and sometimes the final product of, a document. In original use, it tended to desc ...
, playwriting
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
, and short story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...
prose.[ After graduating from college, and despite endorsements from "highly placed professionals,"] she applied without success for a job at publications such as ''Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
'', ''Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'', '' Mademoiselle'', ''Good Housekeeping
''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...
'', ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'', ''Fortune
Fortune may refer to:
General
* Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck
* Luck
* Wealth
* Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling
* Fortune, in a fortune cookie
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...
'', and ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''.
Based on the recommendation from Truman Capote
Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...
, Highsmith was accepted by the Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.". On March  ...
artist's retreat during the summer of 1948, where she worked on her first novel, ''Strangers on a Train''.
Personal life
Highsmith endured cycles of depression, some of them deep, throughout her life. Despite literary success, she wrote in her diary of January 1970: " am now cynical, fairly rich ... lonely, depressed, and totally pessimistic." Over the years, Highsmith had female hormone deficiency, anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gr ...
, chronic anemia
Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, th ...
, Buerger's disease
Thromboangiitis obliterans, also known as Buerger disease (English ; ) or Winiwarter-Buerger disease, is a recurring progressive inflammation and thrombosis (clotting) of small and medium arteries and veins of the hands and feet. It is strongly a ...
, and lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
.
According to her biographer, Andrew Wilson, Highsmith's personal life was a "troubled one". She was an alcoholic
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...
who, allegedly, never had an intimate relationship that lasted for more than a few years, and she was seen by some of her contemporaries and acquaintances as misanthropic
Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσ ...
and hostile. Her chronic alcoholism intensified as she grew older.
She famously preferred the company of animals to that of people and stated in a 1991 interview, "I choose to live alone because my imagination functions better when I don't have to speak with people."
Otto Penzler
Otto Penzler (born July 8, 1942) is a German-born American editor of mystery fiction, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City.
Biography
Born in Germany to a German-American mother and a German father, Penzler moved to The B ...
, her U.S. publisher through his Penzler Books imprint, had met Highsmith in 1983, and four years later witnessed some of her theatrics intended to create havoc at dinner tables and shipwreck an evening. He said after her death that " ighsmithwas a mean, cruel, hard, unlovable, unloving human being ... I could never penetrate how any human being could be that relentlessly ugly. ... But her books? Brilliant."
Other friends, publishers, and acquaintances held different views of Highsmith. Editor Gary Fisketjon, who published her later novels through Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...
, said that "She was very rough, very difficult ... But she was also plainspoken, dryly funny, and great fun to be around."[ Composer David Diamond met Highsmith in 1943 and described her as being "quite a depressed person—and I think people explain her by pulling out traits like cold and reserved, when in fact it all came from depression."] J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard (15 November 193019 April 2009) was an English novelist, short story writer, satirist, and essayist known for provocative works of fiction which explored the relations between human psychology, technology, sex, and mass medi ...
said of Highsmith, "The author of ''Strangers on a Train'' and ''The Talented Mr. Ripley
''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. This novel introduced the character of Tom Ripley, who returns in four subsequent novels. It has been adapted numerous times for screen, including ''Purpl ...
'' was every bit as deviant and quirky as her mischievous heroes, and didn't seem to mind if everyone knew it." Screenwriter Phyllis Nagy
Phyllis Nagy ( ; born November 7, 1962) is an American theatre director, theatre and film director, screenwriter and playwright. In 2006, Nagy was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Mi ...
, who adapted ''The Price of Salt
''The Price of Salt'' (later republished under the title ''Carol'') is a 1952 romance novel by Patricia Highsmith, first published under the pseudonym "Claire Morgan." Highsmith—known as a suspense writer based on her psychological thriller ...
'' into the 2015 film '' Carol'', met Highsmith in 1987 and the two remained friends for the rest of Highsmith's life. Nagy said that Highsmith was "very sweet" and "encouraging" to her as a young writer, as well as "wonderfully funny."
She was considered by some as "a lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
with a misogynist
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced f ...
streak."
Highsmith loved cats, and she bred about three hundred snail
A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...
s in her garden at home in Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
, England. Highsmith once attended a London cocktail party
A cocktail party is a party at which cocktails are served. It is sometimes called a cocktail reception. A cocktail party organized for purposes of social or business networking is called a mixer.
A cocktail hour is sometimes used by manag ...
with a "gigantic handbag" that "contained a head of lettuce and a hundred snails" which she said were her "companions for the evening."[
She loved ]woodworking
Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, woodworking joints, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning.
History
Along with Rock (geology), stone, clay and animal parts, ...
tools and made several pieces of furniture. Highsmith worked without stopping. In later life, she became stooped, with an osteoporotic
Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to bone fragility, and consequent increase in fracture risk. It is the most common reason for a broken bone am ...
hump.[ Though the 22 novels and 8 books of short stories she wrote were highly acclaimed, especially outside of the United States, Highsmith preferred her personal life to remain private.]
A lifelong diarist, Highsmith left behind eight thousand pages of handwritten notebooks and diaries.
Sexuality
As an adult, Patricia Highsmith's sexual relationships were predominantly with women. She occasionally engaged in sex with men without physical desire for them, and wrote in her diary: "The male face doesn't attract me, isn't ''beautiful'' to me." She told writer Marijane Meaker
Marijane Agnes Meaker (May 27, 1927 – November 21, 2022) was an American writer who, along with Tereska Torres, was credited with launching the lesbian pulp fiction genre, the only accessible novels on that theme in the 1950s.
Under the name ...
in the late 1950s that she had "''tried'' to like men. I like most men better than I like women, but not in bed." In a 1970 letter to her stepfather Stanley, Highsmith described sexual encounters with men as "steel wool in the face, a sensation of being raped in the wrong place—leading to a sensation of having to have, pretty soon, a boewl movement," stressing, "If these words are unpleasant to read, I can assure you it is a little more unpleasant in bed." Phyllis Nagy described Highsmith as "a lesbian who did not very much enjoy being around other women" and the few sexual dalliances she had had with men occurred just to "see if she could be into men in that way because she so much more preferred their company."
In 1943, Highsmith had an affair with artist Allela Cornell who, despondent over unrequited love
Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep and pure affection, or may consciously reject it. The Merriam Webster Online Dic ...
from another woman, committed suicide in 1946 by drinking nitric acid
Nitric acid is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. The compound is colorless, but older samples tend to be yellow cast due to decomposition into oxides of nitrogen. Most commercially available nitri ...
.
During her stay at Yaddo, Highsmith met writer Marc Brandel, son of author J. D. Beresford. Even though she told him about her homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
, they soon entered into a short-lived relationship. He convinced her to visit him in Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Provincet ...
, where he introduced her to Ann Smith, a painter and designer with a previous métier as a ''Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' fashion model, and the two became involved. After Smith left Provincetown, Highsmith felt she was "in prison" with Brandel and told him she was leaving. " cause of that I have to sleep with him, and only the fact that it is the last night strengthens me to bear it." Highsmith, who had never been sexually exclusive with Brandel, resented having sex with him. Highsmith temporarily broke off the relationship with Brandel and continued to be involved with several women, reuniting with him after the well-received publication of his new novel. Beginning November 30, 1948, and continuing for the next six months, Highsmith underwent psychoanalysis in an effort "to regularize herself sexually" so she could marry Brandel. The analysis was brought to a stop by Highsmith, after which she ended her relationship with him.[
After ending her engagement to Marc Brandel, she had an affair with ]psychoanalyst
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: + . is a set of Theory, theories and Therapy, therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a bo ...
Kathryn Hamill Cohen, the wife of British publisher Dennis Cohen and founder of Cresset Press
The Cresset Press was a publishing company in London, England, active as an independent press from 1927 for 40 years, and initially specializing in "expensively illustrated limited editions of classical works, like Milton's '' Paradise Lost''" go ...
, which later published ''Strangers on a Train''.
To help pay for the twice-a-week therapy sessions, Highsmith had taken a sales job during Christmas rush season in the toy section of Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain; it was founded in New York City by Joseph B. Bloomingdale, Joseph B. and Lyman G. Bloomingdale in 1861. A third brother, Emanuel Watson Bloomingdale, was also involved in the bus ...
department store.[ Ironically, it was during this attempt to "cure" her homosexuality that Highsmith was inspired to write her semi-autobiographical novel ''The Price of Salt'', in which two women meet in a department store and begin a passionate affair.]
Believing that Brandel's disclosure that she was homosexual, along with the publication of ''The Price of Salt'', would hurt her professionally, Highsmith had an unsuccessful affair with Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler, (, ; ; hu, Kösztler Artúr; 5 September 1905 – 1 March 1983) was a Hungarian-born author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria. In 1931, Koestler join ...
in 1950, designed to hide her homosexuality.
In early September 1951, she began an affair with sociologist Ellen Blumenthal Hill, traveling back and forth to Europe to meet with her.[ When Highsmith and Hill came to New York in early May 1953, their affair ostensibly "in a fragile state", Highsmith began an "impossible" affair with the homosexual German photographer Rolf Tietgens, who had played a "sporadic, intense, and unconsummated role in her emotional life since 1943."][ She was reportedly attracted to Tietgens on account of his homosexuality, confiding that she felt with him "as if he is another girl, or a singularly innocent man." Tietgens shot several nude photographs of Highsmith, but only one has survived, torn in half at the waist so that only her upper body is visible.][ She dedicated '']The Two Faces of January
''The Two Faces of January'' (1964) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. Its title alludes to the two faces of the Roman god Janus, after whom the month of January was named. Biographer Andrew Wilson, in his 2003 publication ' ...
'' (1964) to Tietgens.
Between 1959 and 1961, Highsmith was in love with author Marijane Meaker
Marijane Agnes Meaker (May 27, 1927 – November 21, 2022) was an American writer who, along with Tereska Torres, was credited with launching the lesbian pulp fiction genre, the only accessible novels on that theme in the 1950s.
Under the name ...
. Meaker wrote lesbian stories under the pseudonym "Ann Aldrich" and mystery/suspense fiction as "Vin Packer", and later wrote young adult fiction as "M. E. Kerr."[ In the late 1980s, after 27 years of separation, Highsmith began corresponding with Meaker again, and one day showed up on Meaker's doorstep, slightly drunk and ranting bitterly. Meaker later said she was horrified at how Highsmith's personality had changed.
Highsmith was attracted to women of privilege who expected their lovers to treat them with veneration. According to Phyllis Nagy, she belonged to a "very particular subset of lesbians" and described her conduct with many women she was interested in as being comparable to a movie "studio boss" who chased starlets. Many of these women, who to some extent belonged to the 'Carol Aird'-type and her social set, remained friendly with Highsmith and confirmed the stories of seduction.]
An intensely private person, Highsmith was remarkably open and outspoken about her sexuality.[ She told Meaker: "the only difference between us and heterosexuals is what we do in bed."
]
Death
Highsmith died on February 4, 1995, at 74, from a combination of aplastic anemia
Aplastic anemia is a cancer in which the body fails to make blood cells in sufficient numbers. Blood cells are produced in the bone marrow by stem cells that reside there. Aplastic anemia causes a deficiency of all blood cell types: red blood ...
and lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
at Carita Hospital in Locarno
, neighboring_municipalities= Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Gambarogno, Gordola, Lavertezzo, Losone, Minusio, Muralto, Orselina, Tegna, Tenero-Contra
, twintowns =* Gagra, Georgia
* Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
...
, Switzerland, near the village where she had lived since 1982. She was cremated at the cemetery in Bellinzona
Bellinzona ( , , Ticinese ; french: Bellinzone ; german: Bellenz ; rm, Blizuna )is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebell ...
; a memorial service was conducted in the Chiesa di Tegna in Tegna
Tegna Inc. (stylized in all caps as TEGNA) is an American publicly traded broadcast, digital media and marketing services company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia. It was created on June 29, 2015, when the Gannett Company split into t ...
, Ticino
Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
, Switzerland; and her ashes were interred in its columbarium
A columbarium (; pl. columbaria) is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage of funerary urns, holding cremated remains of the deceased.
The term can also mean the nesting boxes of pigeons. The term comes from the Latin "'' colu ...
.
She left her estate, worth an estimated $3 million, and the promise of any future royalties to the Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.". On March  ...
colony, where she spent two months in 1948 writing the draft of ''Strangers on a Train''.[ Highsmith bequeathed her ]literary estate
The literary estate of a deceased author consists mainly of the copyright and other intellectual property rights of published works, including film rights, film, translation rights, original manuscripts of published work, unpublished or partially ...
to the Swiss Literary Archives at the Swiss National Library
The Swiss National Library (german: Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, french: Bibliothèque nationale suisse, it, Biblioteca nazionale svizzera, rm, Biblioteca naziunala svizra) is the national library of Switzerland. Part of the Federal Office ...
in Bern, Switzerland. Her Swiss publisher, Diogenes Verlag
The Diogenes Verlag (short: Diogenes) is a Swiss publisher in Zurich, founded in 1952 by , with a focus on literature, plays and cartoons. It has been managed since 2012 by the founder's son, Philipp Keel.
History
Daniel Keel, who founded the ...
, was appointed literary executor of the estate.
Religious, racial and ethnic views
Highsmith was a resolute atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
. Although she considered herself a liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
, and in her school years had gotten along with black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
students, in later years she believed that black people were responsible for the welfare crisis in America. She disliked Koreans because "they ate dogs".
Highsmith was an avowed antisemite
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
; she described herself as a "Jew hater" and described The Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
as "the semicaust". When she was living in Switzerland in the 1980s, she used nearly 40 aliases when writing to government bodies and newspapers deploring the state of Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and the "influence" of the Jews. Highsmith was an active supporter of Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
rights, a stance which, according to ''Carol'' screenwriter Phyllis Nagy
Phyllis Nagy ( ; born November 7, 1962) is an American theatre director, theatre and film director, screenwriter and playwright. In 2006, Nagy was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Mi ...
, "often teetered into outright antisemitism."
Politics
Highsmith described herself as a social democrat
Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
. She believed in American democratic ideals and in "the promise" of U.S. history, but was also highly critical of the reality of the country's 20th-century culture and foreign policy
A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...
. Beginning in 1963, she resided exclusively in Europe.[ She retained her United States citizenship, despite the tax penalties, of which she complained bitterly while living for many years in France and Switzerland.
]
Palestine
Highsmith aligned herself with writers such as Gore Vidal
Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and ...
, Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Claud Cockburn ( ; 6 June 1941 – 21 July 2012) was a Scottish-born Irish-American political journalist and writer. Cockburn was brought up by British parents in Ireland, but lived and worked in the United States from 1972. Together ...
, Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American public intellectual: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is ...
and Edward Said
Edward Wadie Said (; , ; 1 November 1935 – 24 September 2003) was a Palestinian-American professor of literature at Columbia University, a public intellectual, and a founder of the academic field of postcolonial studies.Robert Young, ''White ...
in supporting Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
self-determination. As a member of Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
, she felt duty-bound to express publicly her opposition to the displacement of Palestinians. Highsmith prohibited her books from being published in Israel after the election of Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'' (); pl, Menachem Begin (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ''Menakhem Volfovich Begin''; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of Israel. B ...
as prime minister in 1977. She dedicated her 1983 novel '' People Who Knock on the Door'' to the Palestinian people:
The inscription was dropped from the U.S. edition with permission from her agent but without consent from Highsmith.[
Highsmith contributed financially to the Jewish Committee on the Middle East, an organization that represented American Jews who supported Palestinian self-determination.] She wrote in an August 1993 letter to Marijane Meaker: "USA could save 11 million per day if they would cut the dough to Israel. The Jewish vote is 1%."
Writing history
Comic books
After graduating from Barnard College
Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
, before her short stories started appearing in print, Highsmith wrote for comic book publishers from 1942 and 1948, while she lived in New York City and Mexico. Answering an ad for "reporter/rewrite", she landed a job working for comic book publisher Ned Pines
Ned L. Pines (December 10, 1905 – May 14, 1990) was an American publisher of pulp magazines, comic books, and paperback books, active from at least 1928 to 1971. His Standard Comics imprint was the parent company of the comic-book lines Ne ...
in a "bullpen" with four artists and three other writers. Initially scripting two comic-book stories a day for $55-a-week paychecks, Highsmith soon realized she could make more money by freelance
''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
writing for comics, a situation which enabled her to find time to work on her own short stories and live for a period in Mexico. The comic book scriptwriter job was the only long-term job Highsmith ever held.[
From 1942 to 1943, for the Sangor–]Pines
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...
shop (Better/Cinema/Pines/Standard/Nedor), Highsmith wrote "Sergeant Bill King" stories, contributed to Black Terror
The Black Terror is a fictional comic book superhero who originally appeared in ''Exciting Comics'' #9, published by Nedor Comics in January 1941. The character was popular, and on the strength of the Black Terror's sales, Nedor made ''Exciting C ...
and Fighting Yank
The Fighting Yank is the name of several superheroes, first appearing in ''Startling Comics'' #10 (Sept 1941).
Fall 1941 was a boom period for patriotic superheroes as the country prepared to enter World War II; during this period, comic book p ...
comics, and wrote profiles such as Catherine the Great
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
, Barney Ross
Barney Ross (born Dov-Ber "Beryl" David Rosofsky; December 23, 1909 – January 17, 1967) was an American professional boxer. Ross became a world champion in three weight divisions and was a decorated veteran of World War II.
Early life
Dov- ...
, and Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker for the "Real Life Comics" series. From 1943 to 1946, under editor at Timely Comics
Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...
, she contributed to its '' U.S.A. Comics'' wartime series, writing scenarios for comics such as Jap Buster Johnson and The Destroyer. During these same years she wrote for Fawcett Publications
Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett (1885–1940).
It kicked off with the publication of the bawdy humor magazine ''Captain Billy's Whiz B ...
, scripting for Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter Billy Bats ...
characters "Crisco and Jasper" and others. Highsmith also wrote for '' True Comics'', ''Captain Midnight
''Captain Midnight'' (later rebranded on television as ''Jet Jackson, Flying Commando'') is a United States, U.S. adventure franchise first broadcast as a radio serial from 1938 to 1949. The character's popularity throughout the 1940s and into ...
'', and ''Western Comics
Western comics is a comics genre usually depicting the American Old West frontier (usually anywhere west of the Mississippi River) and typically set during the late nineteenth century. The term is generally associated with an American comic books ...
''.
When Highsmith wrote the psychological thriller novel ''The Talented Mr. Ripley
''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. This novel introduced the character of Tom Ripley, who returns in four subsequent novels. It has been adapted numerous times for screen, including ''Purpl ...
'' (1955), one of the title character's first victims is a comic-book artist named Reddington: "Tom had a hunch about Reddington. He was a comic-book artist. He probably didn't know whether he was coming or going."
Early novels and short stories
Highsmith's first novel, '' Strangers on a Train'', proved modestly successful upon publication in 1950, and Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's 1951 film adaptation of the novel enhanced her reputation.
Highsmith's second novel, ''The Price of Salt
''The Price of Salt'' (later republished under the title ''Carol'') is a 1952 romance novel by Patricia Highsmith, first published under the pseudonym "Claire Morgan." Highsmith—known as a suspense writer based on her psychological thriller ...
'', was published in 1952 under the pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
Claire Morgan. Highsmith mined her personal life for the novel's content. Its groundbreaking happy ending and departure from stereotypical conceptions about lesbians made it stand out in lesbian fiction
Lesbian literature is a subgenre of literature addressing lesbian themes. It includes poetry, plays, fiction addressing lesbian characters, and non-fiction about lesbian-interest topics.
Fiction that falls into this category may be of any gen ...
. In what BBC 2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
's ''The Late Show The Late Show may refer to:
Books
* ''The Late Show'' (book), a 2017 book by Michael Connelly
Film
* ''The Late Show'' (film), a 1977 film
* ''Late Show'', a 1999 German film by director Helmut Dietl
Music
* ''The Late Show'' (Eddie "Loc ...
'' presenter Sarah Dunant described as a "literary coming out" after 38 years of disaffirmation, Highsmith finally acknowledged authorship of the novel publicly when she agreed to the 1990 publication by Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions.
Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...
retitled ''Carol''. Highsmith wrote in the "Afterword" to the new edition:
The paperback version of the novel sold nearly one million copies before its 1990 reissue as ''Carol''. ''The Price of Salt'' is distinct for also being the only one of Highsmith's novels in which no violent crime takes place, and where her characters have "more explicit sexual existences" and are allowed "to find happiness in their relationship."
Her short stories appeared for the first time in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fict ...
'' in the early 1950s.
Her last novel, '' Small g: a Summer Idyll'', was rejected by Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...
(her usual publisher by then) several months before her death, leaving Highsmith without an American publisher. It was published posthumously in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publishing
Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. Bloomsbury's head office is located in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a U ...
in March 1995, and nine years later in the United States by W. W. Norton.
The "Ripliad"
In 1955, Highsmith wrote ''The Talented Mr. Ripley
''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. This novel introduced the character of Tom Ripley, who returns in four subsequent novels. It has been adapted numerous times for screen, including ''Purpl ...
'', a novel about Tom Ripley
Thomas Ripley is a fictional character in a series of crime novels by American novelist Patricia Highsmith, as well as several film adaptations. He is a career criminal, con artist, and serial killer who always gets away with his crimes. The f ...
, a charming criminal who murders a rich man and steals his identity. Highsmith wrote four sequels: ''Ripley Under Ground
''Ripley Under Ground'' is a psychological thriller by Patricia Highsmith, the second novel in her ''Tom Ripley, Ripliad'' series. It was published in June 1970.
Plot summary
Six years after the events of ''The Talented Mr. Ripley'', Tom Ri ...
'' (1970), ''Ripley's Game
''Ripley's Game'' (1974) is a psychological thriller by Patricia Highsmith, the third in her series about the con artist and murderer Tom Ripley.
Plot summary
Tom Ripley continues enjoying his wealthy lifestyle in Villeperce, France, with his w ...
'' (1974), '' The Boy Who Followed Ripley'' (1980) and '' Ripley Under Water'' (1991), about Ripley's exploits as a con artist and serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
who always gets away with his crimes. The series—collectively called "The Ripliad"—are some of Highsmith's most popular works.
The "suave, agreeable and utterly amoral" Ripley is Highsmith's most famous character, and has been critically acclaimed for being "both a likable character and a cold-blooded killer." He has typically been regarded as "cultivated", a "dapper sociopath
Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...
", and an "agreeable and urbane psychopath
Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent Anti-social behaviour, antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and Boldness, bold, Disinhibition, disinhibited, and Egotism, egotistical B ...
."
Sam Jordison of ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' wrote, "It is near impossible, I would say, not to root for Tom Ripley. Not to like him. Not, on some level, to want him to win. Patricia Highsmith does a fine job of ensuring he wheedles his way into our sympathies." Film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
made a similar appraisal of the character in his review of ''Purple Noon
''Purple Noon'' (french: Plein soleil; it, Delitto in pieno sole; also known as ''Full Sun'', ''Blazing Sun'', ''Lust for Evil'', and ''Talented Mr. Ripley'') is a 1960 crime thriller film directed by René Clément, loosely based on the 1955 nove ...
'', René Clément
René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Clément studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed hi ...
's 1960 film adaptation of ''The Talented Mr. Ripley'': "Ripley is a criminal of intelligence and cunning who gets away with murder. He's charming and literate, and a monster. It's insidious, the way Highsmith seduces us into identifying with him and sharing his selfishness; Ripley believes that getting his own way is worth whatever price anyone else might have to pay. We all have a little of that in us." Novelist Sarah Waters
Sarah Ann Waters (born 21 July 1966) is a Welsh novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists, such as '' Tipping the Velvet'' and '' Fingersmith''.
Life and education
Early life
Sa ...
esteemed ''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' as the "one book I wish I'd written."
The first three books of the "Ripley" series have been adapted into films five times. In 2015, ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' announced that a group of production companies were planning a television series based on the novels. The series is currently in development.
Honors
* 1979 : Grand Master, Swedish Crime Writers' Academy
* 1987 : , Festival du Cinéma Américain de Deauville
* 1989 : Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and letters, Arts and Letters) is an Order (distinction), order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Ministry of Culture (France), Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the w ...
, French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual, ...
* 1993 : Best Foreign Literary Award, Finnish Crime Society
* 2008 : Greatest Crime Writer, ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
''
Awards and nominations
* 1946 : O. Henry Award
The O. Henry Award is an annual American award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American short-story writer O. Henry.
The ''PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories'' is an annual collection of the year's twenty best ...
, Best First Story, for ''The Heroine'' (in ''Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
'')
* 1951 : Nominee, Edgar Allan Poe Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
, Best First Novel, Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City.
The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday.
It presents the Edgar Award ...
, for ''Strangers on a Train''
* 1956 : Edgar Allan Poe Scroll (special award), Mystery Writers of America, for ''The Talented Mr. Ripley''
* 1957 : Grand Prix de Littérature Policière The Grand Prix de Littérature Policière (or the Police Literature Grand Prize) is a French literary prize founded in 1948 by author and literary critic Maurice-Bernard Endrèbe. It is the most prestigious award for crime and detective fiction in ...
, International, for ''The Talented Mr. Ripley''
* 1963 : Nominee, Edgar Allan Poe Award, Best Short Story, Mystery Writers of America, for ''The Terrapin'' (in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fict ...
'')
* 1963 : Special Award, Mystery Writers of America, for ''The Terrapin''
* 1964 : Silver Dagger Award
The Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year.
From 1955 to 1959, the organization named their top honor as the Crossed Red Herring Award. Fro ...
, Best Foreign Novel, Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors’ organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its Dagger awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. T ...
, for ''The Two Faces of January'' (pub. Heinemann Heinemann may refer to:
* Heinemann (surname)
* Heinemann (publisher), a publishing company
* Heinemann Park, a.k.a. Pelican Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
See also
* Heineman
* Jamie Hyneman
James Franklin Hyneman (born Se ...
)
* 1975 : for ''L'Amateur d'escargots'' (pub. Calmann-Lévy) (English title: ''Eleven'')
Bibliography
Novels
* '' Strangers on a Train'' (1950)
* ''The Price of Salt
''The Price of Salt'' (later republished under the title ''Carol'') is a 1952 romance novel by Patricia Highsmith, first published under the pseudonym "Claire Morgan." Highsmith—known as a suspense writer based on her psychological thriller ...
'' (1952) (as Claire Morgan) (republished as ''Carol'' in 1990 under Highsmith's name)
* '' The Blunderer'' (1954)
* '' Deep Water'' (1957)
* '' A Game for the Living'' (1958)
* ''This Sweet Sickness
''This Sweet Sickness'' (1960) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith, about a man who is obsessed with a woman who has rejected his advances. It is a "painful novel about obsessive imaginary love".
Composition
Highsmith dedicate ...
'' (1960)
* '' The Cry of the Owl'' (1962)
* ''The Two Faces of January
''The Two Faces of January'' (1964) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. Its title alludes to the two faces of the Roman god Janus, after whom the month of January was named. Biographer Andrew Wilson, in his 2003 publication ' ...
'' (1964)
* '' The Glass Cell'' (1964)
* ''A Suspension of Mercy
''A Suspension of Mercy'' (1965) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. It was published in the US under the title ''The Story-Teller'' later the same year by Doubleday. It was the eleventh of her 22 novels.
Composition
The pr ...
'' (1965) (published as ''The Story-Teller'' in the U.S.)
* '' Those Who Walk Away'' (1967)
* ''The Tremor of Forgery
''The Tremor of Forgery'' (1969) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. It was the thirteenth of her 22 novels.
Synopsis
American writer Howard Ingham arrives in the sweltering heat of Tunisia in search of inspiration for a ne ...
'' (1969)
* '' A Dog's Ransom'' (1972)
* '' Edith's Diary'' (1977)
* '' People Who Knock on the Door'' (1983)
* '' Found in the Street'' (1986)
* '' Small g: a Summer Idyll'' (1995)
;The "Ripliad"
* ''The Talented Mr. Ripley
''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. This novel introduced the character of Tom Ripley, who returns in four subsequent novels. It has been adapted numerous times for screen, including ''Purpl ...
'' (1955)
* ''Ripley Under Ground
''Ripley Under Ground'' is a psychological thriller by Patricia Highsmith, the second novel in her ''Tom Ripley, Ripliad'' series. It was published in June 1970.
Plot summary
Six years after the events of ''The Talented Mr. Ripley'', Tom Ri ...
'' (1970)
* ''Ripley's Game
''Ripley's Game'' (1974) is a psychological thriller by Patricia Highsmith, the third in her series about the con artist and murderer Tom Ripley.
Plot summary
Tom Ripley continues enjoying his wealthy lifestyle in Villeperce, France, with his w ...
'' (1974)
* '' The Boy Who Followed Ripley'' (1980)
* '' Ripley Under Water'' (1991)
Film, television, theatre and radio adaptations
Several of Highsmith's works have been adapted for other media, some more than once. In 1978, Highsmith was president of the jury at the 28th Berlin International Film Festival.[
]
Film
* 1951. '' Strangers on a Train'' was adapted as a film of same name directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
starring Farley Granger
Farley Earle Granger Jr. (July 1, 1925 – March 27, 2011) was an American actor, best known for his two collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock: ''Rope'' in 1948 and '' Strangers on a Train'' in 1951.
Granger was first noticed in a small ...
as Guy Haines, Robert Walker as Anthony Bruno, Ruth Roman
Ruth Roman (born Norma Roman; December 22, 1922 – September 9, 1999) was an American actress of film, stage, and television.
After playing stage roles on the east coast, Roman relocated to Hollywood to pursue a career in films. She appeare ...
as Anne Morton, Patricia Hitchcock
Patricia Alma Hitchcock O'Connell (7 July 1928 – 9 August 2021) was an English-American actress and producer, acting under the name Pat Hitchcock. She was the only child of English director Alfred Hitchcock and film editor Alma Reville, and ...
as Barbara Morton and Laura Elliott as Miriam Joyce Haines.
* 1963. '' The Blunderer'' was adapted as French language film ''Le meurtrier'' ("The Murderer"), directed by Claude Autant-Lara
Claude Autant-Lara (; 5 August 1901 – 5 February 2000) was a French film director and later Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
Biography
Born at Luzarches in Val-d'Oise, Autant-Lara was educated in France and at London's Mill Hill Sc ...
starring Maurice Ronet
Maurice Ronet (13 April 1927 – 14 March 1983) was a French film actor, director, and writer.
Early life
Maurice Ronet was born Maurice Julien Marie Robinet in Nice, Alpes Maritimes. He was the only child of professional stage actors Émile Rob ...
as Walter Saccard, Yvonne Furneaux
Yvonne Furneaux (born Elisabeth Yvonne Scatcherd; 11 May 1928) is a French-British retired actress. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she worked with notable filmmakers like Peter Brook, Federico Fellini, Roman Polanski, Michelan ...
as Clara Saccard, Gert Fröbe
Karl Gerhart "Gert" Fröbe (; 25 February 1913 – 5 September 1988) was a German actor. He was best known in English-speaking countries for his work as Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film '' Goldfinger'', as Peachum in ''The Threepenny Oper ...
as Melchior Kimmel, Marina Vlady
Marina Vlady (born 10 May 1938) is a French actress.
Biography
Vlady was born in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine to White Russian immigrant parents. Her father was an opera singer and her mother was a dancer. Her sisters, now all deceased, were the act ...
as Ellie and Robert Hossein
Robert Hossein (30 December 1927 – 31 December 2020) was a French film actor, director, and writer. He directed the 1982 adaptation of ''Les Misérables'' and appeared in '' Vice and Virtue'', '' Le Casse'', '' Les Uns et les Autres'' and '' ...
as Corbi. It is known in English as ''Enough Rope
''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...
''.
* 1969. '' Strangers on a Train'' was adapted as '' Once You Kiss a Stranger'', directed by Robert Sparr
Robert Sparr (September 10, 1915 – August 28, 1969) was an American screenwriter, television director, and film director. He died as a result of a plane crash in Colorado while scouting filming locations for the 1970 film ''Barquero'' with ...
starring Paul Burke as Jerry, Carol Lynley
Carol Lynley (born Carole Ann Jones; February 13, 1942 – September 3, 2019) was an American actress known for her roles in the films ''Blue Denim'' (1959) and '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972).
Lynley was born in Manhattan to an Irish ...
as Diana and Martha Hyer
Martha Hyer (August 10, 1924 – May 31, 2014) was an American actress who played Gwen French in ''Some Came Running'' (1958), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her autobiography, ''Finding My Way ...
as Lee.
* 1977. ''This Sweet Sickness
''This Sweet Sickness'' (1960) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith, about a man who is obsessed with a woman who has rejected his advances. It is a "painful novel about obsessive imaginary love".
Composition
Highsmith dedicate ...
'' was adapted as French language film ''Dites-lui que je l'aime'', directed by Claude Miller
Claude Miller (20 February 1942 – 4 April 2012) was a French film director, producer and screenwriter.
Life and career
Claude Miller was born to a Jewish family. A student at Paris' IDHEC film school from 1962 through 1963, Miller had his fi ...
starring Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...
as David Martineau, Miou-Miou
Sylvette Herry (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Miou-Miou (), is a French actress. A ten-time César Award nominee, she won the César Award for Best Actress for the 1979 film ''Memoirs of a French Whore''. Her other films incl ...
as Juliette, Dominique Laffin as Lise, and Jacques Denis as Gérard Dutilleux. It is known in English as ''This Sweet Sickness
''This Sweet Sickness'' (1960) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith, about a man who is obsessed with a woman who has rejected his advances. It is a "painful novel about obsessive imaginary love".
Composition
Highsmith dedicate ...
''.
* 1978. '' The Glass Cell'' was adapted as German language film '' Die gläserne Zelle'', directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer
Hans W. Geißendörfer (born 6 April 1941 in Augsburg) is a German film director and producer.
Director of '' The Glass Cell'' (1978, starring Brigitte Fossey), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and 16 oth ...
starring Brigitte Fossey
Brigitte Florence Fossey (; born 15 June 1946) is a French actress.
Early years
The daughter of a schoolteacher, Fossey was five years old when she was cast by director René Clément to star in his film, ''Jeux interdits, Forbidden Games''. as Lisa Braun, Helmut Griem
Helmut Griem (6 April 1932 – 19 November 2004) was a German film, television and stage actor, and director.
Biography
Born in Hamburg, Griem was primarily a stage actor, appearing at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, the Deutsches Schauspielhaus ...
as Phillip Braun, Dieter Laser
Klaus Dieter Laser (17 February 1942 – 29 February 2020) was a German actor. Laser's career spanned over five decades, appearing in both German and English-language productions. He achieved recognition for his lead role in the 2009 film '' The ...
as David Reinelt and Walter Kohut
Walter Kohut (20 November 1927 – 18 May 1980) was an Austrian film, television and theatre actor.
He appeared in many Austrian and German films over a 30-year period and became known for playing shady characters. He became known internationally ...
as Robert Lasky.
* 1981. '' Deep Water'' was adapted as French language film ''Eaux profondes
''Eaux profondes'' is a 1981 French thriller film directed by Michel Deville that stars Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Based on the novel '' Deep Water'' by Patricia Highsmith, it tells the story of a man who regains his wife's aff ...
'', directed by Michel Deville
Michel Deville (born 13 April 1931) is a French film director and screenwriter.
Deville started his filmmaking career in the late 1950s, paralleling the emergence of the French New Wave directors. He never achieved the level of critical and in ...
starring Isabelle Huppert
Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Described as "one of the best actresses in the world", she is known for her portrayals of cold and disdainful characters devoid of morality. She is the recipient of sev ...
as Melanie and Jean-Louis Trintignant
Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant (; 11 December 1930 – 17 June 2022) was a French actor. He made his theatrical debut in 1951, and went on to be regarded as one of the best French dramatic actors of the post-war era. He starred in many classic fi ...
as Vic Allen.
* 1983. '' Edith's Diary'' was adapted as German language film ''Ediths Tagebuch'', directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer
Hans W. Geißendörfer (born 6 April 1941 in Augsburg) is a German film director and producer.
Director of '' The Glass Cell'' (1978, starring Brigitte Fossey), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and 16 oth ...
starring Angela Winkler
Angela Winkler (born 22 January 1944) is a German actress.
Life and career
Born in Templin, Winkler trained to be a medical technologist in Stuttgart. Interested in theater, she went to Munich, where she took acting classes with Ernst Fritz F ...
as Edith.
* 1986. ''The Two Faces of January
''The Two Faces of January'' (1964) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. Its title alludes to the two faces of the Roman god Janus, after whom the month of January was named. Biographer Andrew Wilson, in his 2003 publication ' ...
'' was adapted as German language film ''Die zwei Gesichter des Januars'', directed by Wolfgang Storch starring Charles Brauer as Chester McFarland, Yolanda Jilot as Colette McFarland and Thomas Schücke as Rydal Keener.
* 1987. '' The Cry of the Owl'' was adapted as French language film '' Le cri du hibou'', directed by Claude Chabrol
Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...
starring Christophe Malavoy
Christophe Malavoy (born 21 March 1952 in Reutlingen, West Germany), is a French actor.
Selected filmography
References
External links
*
1952 births
Living people
20th-century French male actors
French male film actors
Most Promising ...
as Robert, Mathilda May
Mathilda May (born Karin Haïm; 8 February 1965) is a French film actress.
Early life
May was born in Paris, France. Her father, playwright Victor Haïm, is of Sephardic Jewish ( Greek-Jewish and Turkish-Jewish) descent. Her mother is the Sw ...
as Juliette, Jacques Penot as Patrick and Virginie Thévenet
Virginie Thévenet (born 12 January 1957, in Paris) is a French actress, director and screenwriter.
Films with Virginie Thévenet as actress
* 1970 : '' Les Stances de Sophie'', by Moshé Mizrahi
* 1972 : '' Faustine et le Bel Été''
* 1972 : ...
as Véronique.
* 1987. The film version of '' Strangers on a Train'' by Alfred Hitchcock inspired the black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
American film ''Throw Momma from the Train
''Throw Momma from the Train'' is a 1987 American crime comedy film starring and directed by Danny DeVito in his theatrical directorial debut. The film co-stars Billy Crystal, Anne Ramsey, Rob Reiner, Branford Marsalis, Kim Greist, and Kate Mulgre ...
'', directed by Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...
.
* 1989. ''A Suspension of Mercy
''A Suspension of Mercy'' (1965) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. It was published in the US under the title ''The Story-Teller'' later the same year by Doubleday. It was the eleventh of her 22 novels.
Composition
The pr ...
'' (aka ''The Story Teller'') was adapted as German language film ''Der Geschichtenerzähler'', directed by Rainer Boldt starring Udo Schenk as Nico Thomkins and Anke Sevenich as Helen Thomkins.
* 2009. ''The Cry of the Owl'' was adapted as a film of same name, directed by Jamie Thraves
Jamie Thraves (born James Thraves, 2 June 1969 in Romford, London) is a British film writer and director.
Biography
Thraves began making early short experimental films in 1989 at the University of Humberside, having previously studied illustrat ...
starring Paddy Considine as Robert Forester and Julia Stiles as Jenny Thierolf.
* 2014. ''The Two Faces of January'' was adapted as a The Two Faces of January (film), film of same name, written and directed by Hossein Amini starring Viggo Mortensen as Chester MacFarland, Kirsten Dunst as Colette MacFarland and Oscar Isaac as Rydal. It was released during the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.
* 2014. ''A Mighty Nice Man'' was adapted as a short film, directed by Jonathan Dee starring Kylie McVey as Charlotte, Jacqueline Baum as Emilie, Kristen Connolly as Charlotte's Mother, and Billy Magnussen as Robbie.
* 2015. A film adaption of ''The Price of Salt
''The Price of Salt'' (later republished under the title ''Carol'') is a 1952 romance novel by Patricia Highsmith, first published under the pseudonym "Claire Morgan." Highsmith—known as a suspense writer based on her psychological thriller ...
'', titled '' Carol'', was written by Phyllis Nagy
Phyllis Nagy ( ; born November 7, 1962) is an American theatre director, theatre and film director, screenwriter and playwright. In 2006, Nagy was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Mi ...
and directed by Todd Haynes, starring Cate Blanchett as Carol Aird and Rooney Mara as Therese Belivet.
* 2016. ''The Blunderer'' was adapted as ''A Kind of Murder'', directed by Andy Goddard starring Patrick Wilson (American actor), Patrick Wilson as Walter Stackhouse, Jessica Biel as Clara Stackhouse, Eddie Marsan as Marty Kimmel and Haley Bennett as Ellie Briess.
* 2022. ''Deep Water'' was Deep Water (2022 film), adapted again, directed by Adrian Lyne starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas.
"Ripliad"
* 1960: ''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' was adapted as French language film ''Plein soleil'' (titled ''Purple Noon'' for English-language audiences, though it translates as "Full Sun"). Directed by René Clément
René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Clément studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed hi ...
starring Alain Delon as Tom Ripley, Maurice Ronet
Maurice Ronet (13 April 1927 – 14 March 1983) was a French film actor, director, and writer.
Early life
Maurice Ronet was born Maurice Julien Marie Robinet in Nice, Alpes Maritimes. He was the only child of professional stage actors Émile Rob ...
as Philippe Greenleaf, and Marie Laforêt as Marge Duval. Both Highsmith and film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
criticized the screenplay for altering the ending to prevent Ripley from going unpunished as he does in the novel.
* 1977: ''Ripley's Game'' (third novel) and a "plot fragment" of ''Ripley Under Ground'' (second novel) were adapted as German language film ''Der Amerikanische Freund'' (''The American Friend''). Directed by Wim Wenders with Dennis Hopper as Ripley. Highsmith initially disliked the film but later found it stylish, although she did not like how Ripley was interpreted.
* 1999: ''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' was adapted as The Talented Mr. Ripley (film), an American production. Directed by Anthony Minghella with Matt Damon as Ripley, Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf, and Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge Sherwood.
* 2002: ''Ripley's Game'' was adapted as a film Ripley's Game (film), of same name for an English language Italian production. Directed by Liliana Cavani with John Malkovich as Ripley, Chiara Caselli as Luisa Harari Ripley, Ray Winstone as Reeves Minot, Dougray Scott as Jonathan Trevanny, and Lena Headey as Sarah Trevanny. Although not all reviews were favorable, Roger Ebert regarded it as the best of all the Ripley films.
* 2005: ''Ripley Under Ground'' was adapted as a film Ripley Under Ground (film), of same name. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode with Barry Pepper as Ripley, Jacinda Barrett as Héloïse Plisson-Ripley, Willem Dafoe as Neil Murchison, and Tom Wilkinson as John Webster.
* 2020: ''Ripley (American TV series), Ripley'' upcoming American television series by Showtime (TV network), Showtime. Directed by Steven Zaillian starring Andrew Scott (actor), Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley.
Television
* 1958. ''Strangers on a Train'' was adapted by Warner Brothers for an episode of the TV series ''77 Sunset Strip''.
* 1982. Scenes from the Ripley novels were dramatized in the episode ''A Gift for Murder'' of ''The South Bank Show'', with Jonathan Kent (director), Jonathan Kent portraying Tom Ripley. The episode included an interview with Patricia Highsmith.
* 1983. ''Deep Water'' was adapted as a two-part miniseries for German television as ''Tiefe Wasser'', directed by Franz Peter Wirth starring Peter Bongartz as Vic van Allen, Constanze Engelbrecht as Melinda van Allen, Reinhard Glemnitz as Dirk Weisberg, Raimund Harmstorf as Anton Kameter, and Sky du Mont as Charley de Lisle.
* 1987. ''The Cry of the Owl'' was adapted for German television as ''Der Schrei der Eule'', directed by Tom Toelle starring Matthias Habich as Robert Forster, Birgit Doll as Johanna Tierolf, Jacques Breuer as Karl Weick, Fritz Lichtenhahn as Inspektor Lippenholtz, and Doris Kunstmann as Vicky.
* 1990. The twelve episodes of the television series ''Mistress of Suspense'' are based on stories by Highsmith. The series aired first in France, then in the UK. It became available in the U.S. under the title ''Chillers''.
* 1993. ''The Tremor of Forgery
''The Tremor of Forgery'' (1969) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. It was the thirteenth of her 22 novels.
Synopsis
American writer Howard Ingham arrives in the sweltering heat of Tunisia in search of inspiration for a ne ...
'' was adapted as German television film ''Trip nach Tunis'', directed by Peter Goedel starring David Hunt (actor), David Hunt as Howard Ingham, Karen Sillas as Ina Pallant and John Seitz as Francis J. Adams.
* 1995. ''Little Tales of Misogyny'' was adapted as Spanish/Catalan television film ''Petits contes misògins'', directed by Pere Sagristà starring Marta Pérez, Carme Pla, Mamen Duch, and Míriam Iscla.
* 1996. ''Strangers on a Train'' was adapted for television as ''Once You Meet a Stranger'', directed by Tommy Lee Wallace starring Jacqueline Bisset as Sheila Gaines ("Guy"), Theresa Russell as Margo Anthony ("Bruno") and Celeste Holm as Clara. The gender of the two lead characters was changed from male to female.
* 1996. '' A Dog's Ransom'' was adapted as French television film ''La rançon du chien'', directed by Peter Kassovitz starring François Négret as César, François Perrot as Edouard Raynaud, Daniel Prévost as Max Ducasse and Charlotte Valandrey as Sophie.
Theatre
* 1998. ''The Talented Mr. Ripley
''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. This novel introduced the character of Tom Ripley, who returns in four subsequent novels. It has been adapted numerous times for screen, including ''Purpl ...
'' was adapted for the stage as a play of same name by playwright Phyllis Nagy
Phyllis Nagy ( ; born November 7, 1962) is an American theatre director, theatre and film director, screenwriter and playwright. In 2006, Nagy was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Mi ...
. It was revived in 2010.
* 2013. ''Strangers on a Train'' was adapted as a play Strangers on a Train (play), of same name by playwright Craig Warner.
Radio
* 2002. A four-episode radio drama of ''The Cry of the Owl'' was broadcast by BBC Radio 4, with voice acting by John Sharian as Robert Forester, Joanne McQuinn as Jenny Theirolf, Adrian Lester as Greg Wyncoop, and Matt Rippy as Jack Neilsen.
* 2009. All five books of the "Ripliad" were Adaptation (arts), dramatized by BBC Radio 4, with Ian Hart voicing Tom Ripley.
* 2014. A five-segment dramatization of ''Carol'' (aka ''The Price of Salt'') was broadcast by BBC Radio 4, with voice acting by Miranda Richardson as Carol Aird and Andrea Deck as Therese Belivet.
* 2019. A five-episode broadcast of selected short stories (''One for the Islands'', ''A Curious Suicide'', ''The Terrors of Basket-Weaving'', ''The Man Who Wrote Books In His Head'', ''The Baby Spoon'') by BBC Radio 4.
Novels, films and plays about Highsmith
;Novels
*
;Films
''Highsmith: Her Secret Life''
(2004), Television film, made for television documentary by Hugh Thomson (writer), Hugh Thomson, BBC Four.
*
''Highsmith: Her Secret Life''
"notes on the film", Hugh Thomson, BBC, 2004.
* ''Loving Highsmith (2022 film), Loving Highsmith'' (2022), Theatrical release, theatrical documentary by Eva Vitija, Ensemble Film GmbH.
;Plays
* Joanna Murray-Smith, Murray-Smith, Joanna (2015). ''Switzerland''. Dramatists Play Service. . (First presented at Sydney Theatre Company in November 2014).
See also
*Ruth Rendell: A "mistress of suspense" contemporary of Highsmith for whom Highsmith acknowledged rarely admitted admiration. Rendell explored characters and themes similar to Highsmith's.
Notes
References
Further reading
* Dirda, Michael (July 2, 2009)
This Woman Is Dangerous
''The New York Review of Books''. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
* Dupont, Joan (June 12, 1988)
Criminal Pursuits
''The New York Times''. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
* Helmore, Edward (October 26, 2019)
Diaries expose ‘strong brew’ of Ripley novelist Patricia Highsmith's dark thoughts
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
* McCann, Sean (April 1, 2011)
“Frequently as a rat has orgasms”
''New York City in the '40s'', Wesleyan University. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
* Morgan, Kim (December 4, 2015)
The Gnarly Allure of Patricia Highsmith
''The Daily Beast''. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
* Perrin, Tom (December 18, 2012)
On Patricia Highsmith
''Post45'' (Yale University). Retrieved March 12, 2016.
* Piepenbring, Dan (January 19, 2015)
A Dissatisfaction with Life
''The Paris Review''. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
* Rayner, Richard (July 17, 2011)
Paperback Writers: Classic Patricia Highsmith
''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
* Schenkar, Joan (January 21, 2012)
The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith
''Joan Schenkar''. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
* Schenkar, Joan (February 25, 2016)
''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
* Shipley, Diane (April 1, 2014)
Patricia Highsmith's criminal neglect
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
*
* Smith, Nathan (November 19, 2015)
When Patricia Highsmith Offered Gay Readers a Hopeful Ending
''The New Republic''. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
* Tonkin, Boyd (December 7, 2015)
'Carol', Patricia Highsmith, and how gay literature found its voice in the 1950s
''The Independent''. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
;Books
*
*
*
External links
Patricia Highsmith Papers – Swiss Literary Archives
Swiss National Library
The Swiss National Library (german: Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, french: Bibliothèque nationale suisse, it, Biblioteca nazionale svizzera, rm, Biblioteca naziunala svizra) is the national library of Switzerland. Part of the Federal Office ...
, 2006.
Patricia Highsmith – Exhibition of the Swiss National Library
March–September 2006, Swiss National Library
The Swiss National Library (german: Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, french: Bibliothèque nationale suisse, it, Biblioteca nazionale svizzera, rm, Biblioteca naziunala svizra) is the national library of Switzerland. Part of the Federal Office ...
, March 13, 2006.
Patricia Highsmith : photographs from the exhibition
Swiss Literary Archives, Swiss National Library
The Swiss National Library (german: Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, french: Bibliothèque nationale suisse, it, Biblioteca nazionale svizzera, rm, Biblioteca naziunala svizra) is the national library of Switzerland. Part of the Federal Office ...
, December 1, 2006. (archive)
Choose Your Highsmith
(The Patricia Highsmith Recommendation Engine). W. W. Norton & Company.
Patricia Highsmith First Edition Book Cover Gallery (UK publishers)
Existential Ennui, 2013.
by René Burri, Magnum Photos, 1988.
Patricia Highsmith
interview by Naim Attallah, Naim Attallah Online, Quartet Books, 1993.
Works by or about Patricia Highsmith
in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
*
Audio interviews
Patricia Highsmith
on Audio Interviews: "Thrillers and Crime Fiction", BBC Four, December 3, 1972 (archive)
Patricia Highsmith interview
with Roy Plomley, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, April 21, 1979.
Patricia Highsmith interview (''The Black House'')
with Peter Clayton, Meridian, BBC World Service, August 8, 1980.
Patricia Highsmith interview
with Terry Gross, Fresh Air, NPR, October 27, 1987.
Patricia Highsmith interview
with Don Swaim, Book Beat, WCBS (AM), WCBS-Radio (via Wired for Books, Ohio University), October 29, 1987. (archive)
Patricia Highsmith, In Conversation
with Michael Dibdin, ICA talks, Institute of Contemporary Arts, September 27, 1991.
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