''Shaft'' is a 1970

detective novel 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 ...

Ernest Tidyman Ernest Ralph Tidyman (January 1, 1928 – July 14, 1984) was an American author and screenwriter, best known for his novels featuring the African-American detective John Shaft. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film version of '' Shaft'' w ...

. The novel debuted the character

John Shaft John Shaft is a fictional character created by author/screenwriter Ernest Tidyman for the 1970 novel of the same name. He was portrayed by Richard Roundtree in the original 1971 film and in its four sequels, '' Shaft's Big Score!'' (1972), '' Sh ...

and inspired both the 1971 film '' Shaft'' and its sequels.

Plot

''Shaft'' tells one of the adventures of

, a

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Background

Author

was at the time trying to transition from the field of journalism to fiction, after his first novel, ''Flower Power'', had little success. Editor Alan Rinzler, who had worked with

Claude Brown Claude Brown (February 23, 1937 – February 2, 2002) was the author of '' Manchild in the Promised Land'', published to critical acclaim in 1965, which tells the story of his coming of age during the 1940s and 1950s in Harlem. He also published ...

on the bestselling ''

Manchild in the Promised Land ''Manchild in the Promised Land'' is a 1965 autobiographical novel written by Claude Brown. It chronicles the author's coming-of-age story amidst poverty and violence in Harlem during the 1940s and 1950s. Published at the height of the civil right ...

'', wanted a book which would take the gritty realism of ''Manchild in the Promised Land'' and bring it into the mystery genre. At the recommendation of literary agent Ronald Hobbs, noted as one of the few black literary agents in the 1960s, Tidyman was commissioned to write ''Shaft'' in 1968. He started writing the novel in late 1968, finished it in 1969, and immediately started shopping the book's film rights in Hollywood, even though it would not see publication for nearly another year. ''Shaft'' was first published in a hardback edition in April 1970.

References

External links

Mullhollandbooks.com

Steve Aldous' Guide to Shaft In Print
1970 American novels American detective novels American novels adapted into films Shaft (franchise) Novels by Ernest Tidyman {{1970s-crime-novel-stub