Stephen Hunter (born March 25, 1946,
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
) is an American novelist, essayist, and
film critic
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...
.
Life and career
Hunter was born in
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
, and grew up in
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...
. His father was Charles Francis Hunter, a
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
speech professor who was murdered in 1975 by two male prostitutes. His mother was Virginia Ricker Hunter, a writer of children's books. After graduating from Northwestern in 1968 with a degree in journalism, he was drafted for two years into the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
serving in
The Old Guard (3rd Infantry Regiment) in Washington, D.C., a unit that has both operational and ceremonial missions, the latter most notably being the guard force for the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...
. He also wrote for a military paper, the ''Pentagon News.''
He joined ''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' in 1971, working at the
copy desk
Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material ( copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. ''The Chicago Manual o ...
of the newspaper's Sunday edition for a decade. He became its film critic in 1982, a post he held until moving to ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' in the same function in 1997. In 1998 Hunter won the
American Society of Newspaper Editors
The American Society of News Editors (ASNE) was a membership organization for editors, producers or directors in charge of journalistic organizations or departments, deans or faculty at university journalism schools, and leaders and faculty of ...
Distinguished Writing Award in the criticism category, and in 2003 he received the
Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
The Pulitzer Prize for Criticism has been presented since 1970 to a newspaper writer in the United States who has demonstrated 'distinguished criticism'. Recipients of the award are chosen by an independent board and officially administered by C ...
.
He accepted a buyout from the ''Post'' in 2008.
Hunter's thriller novels include ''
Point of Impact'' (filmed as ''
Shooter
Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, Bow and arrow, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or Blowgun, blowpipe). Even the acts of launching Flamethrower, flame, artillery, Dart (missile), darts, ha ...
''), ''
Black Light
A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp that emits long-wave (UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light. One type of lamp has a violet filter material, either on the bulb or in a separat ...
'' and ''
Time to Hunt
''Time to Hunt'' is a 1998 thriller novel, and the third in the Bob Lee Swagger series by Stephen Hunter. In narrative sequence it is preceded by '' Point of Impact'' and ''Black Light''.
Plot summary
The book begins about four or five years aft ...
'', which form a trilogy featuring
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
veteran and
sniper
A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...
Bob "the Nailer" Swagger. The story of Bob Lee Swagger continued with ''
The 47th Samurai
''The 47th Samurai'' is a 2007 thriller novel, and the fourth in the Bob Lee Swagger series by Stephen Hunter. In narrative sequence it is preceded by '' Point of Impact'', ''Black Light
A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ...
'' (2007), ''
Night of Thunder'' (2008), ''
I, Sniper'' (2009), ''Dead Zero'' (2010), ''The Third Bullet'' (2013), ''Sniper's Honor'' (2014) and ''G-Man'' (2017). The series has led to two spin-off series: ''
Hot Springs
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
'', ''
Pale Horse Coming'', and ''
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. '' form another trilogy centered on Bob Swagger's father, Earl Swagger, while ''Soft Target'' (2011) focuses on Bob's long-unknown son, Ray Cruz.
Hunter has written three non-fiction books: ''Violent Screen: A Critic's 13 Years on the Front Lines of Movie Mayhem'' (1995), a collection of essays from his time at ''The Sun''; ''American Gunfight'' (2005), an examination of the November 1, 1950
attempted assassination of Harry S. Truman; and ''Now Playing at the Valencia'' (2005), a collection of pieces from ''The Washington Post''. Hunter has also written a number of non-film-related articles for ''The Post'', including one on Afghanistan: "Dressed To Kill—From Kabul to Kandahar, It's Not Who You Are That Matters, but What You Shoot" (2001).
Hunter is a
firearms
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...
enthusiast, well known in the gun community for firearm detail in many of his works of fiction. He himself shoots as a hobby, saying "many people don't understand, shooting a firearm is a sensual pleasure that's rewarding in and of itself."
In an interview with
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
on February 16, 2011, in relation to the
shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others, Hunter defended the public availability of high-capacity
magazines
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...
. He also said that it was not clear if the 33-round magazine used by shooter
Jared Lee Loughner
Jared Lee Loughner (; born September 10, 1988) is an American mass murderer who pled guilty to 19 charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with the January 8, 2011, Tucson shooting, in which he shot and severely injured U.S. Repre ...
played a part in the shooting.
He had previously stated in his op-ed piece in ''The Washington Post'' that extended magazines are particularly valuable for the self-defense of women and the elderly, who he said could use them effectively as an alternative to semi-automatic rifles or shotguns. He points out that "women generally don't care to put in the training needed to master
ifles and shotguns Nor can the elderly handle
ong guns Ong or ONG may refer to:
Arts and media
* Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction
* “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur from the album The Magic Whip
Places
* Ong, Nebraska, US, city
* Ong's Hat, New Jersey, US, ghost town
* Ong River, Odisha, ...
adeptly."
Works
Novels
''Bob Lee Swagger'' series:
# ''
Point of Impact'' (1993)
# ''
Black Light
A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp that emits long-wave (UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light. One type of lamp has a violet filter material, either on the bulb or in a separat ...
'' (1996)
# ''
Time to Hunt
''Time to Hunt'' is a 1998 thriller novel, and the third in the Bob Lee Swagger series by Stephen Hunter. In narrative sequence it is preceded by '' Point of Impact'' and ''Black Light''.
Plot summary
The book begins about four or five years aft ...
'' (1998)
# ''
The 47th Samurai
''The 47th Samurai'' is a 2007 thriller novel, and the fourth in the Bob Lee Swagger series by Stephen Hunter. In narrative sequence it is preceded by '' Point of Impact'', ''Black Light
A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ...
'' (2007)
# ''
Night of Thunder'' (2008)
# ''
I, Sniper'' (2009)
# ''Dead Zero'' (2010)
# ''The Third Bullet'' (2013)
# ''Sniper's Honor'' (2014)
# ''G-Man'' (2017)
# ''Game of Snipers'' (2019)
# ''Targeted'' (2022)
* ''
Dirty White Boys
''Dirty White Boys'' is a 1994 crime thriller novel by American author Stephen Hunter. It covers the escape of convict Lamar Pye and two accomplices from a penitentiary in Oklahoma, and highway patrol officer Bud Pewtie's attempts to track them ...
'' (1994), prequel to events in ''Black Light''
''Earl Swagger'' series:
# ''
Hot Springs
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
'' (2000)
# ''
Pale Horse Coming'' (2001)
# ''
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. '' (2003)
# ''The Bullet Garden'' (January 24, 2023
)
''Ray Cruz'' series:
# ''Dead Zero'' (2010)
# ''Soft Target'' (2011)
Stand-alones:
* ''The Master Sniper'' (1980)
* ''The Second Saladin'' (1982)
* ''Target'' (1985), novelization of film ''
Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
''
* ''The Spanish Gambit'' (reissued as ''Tapestry of Spies'') (1985)
* ''The Day Before Midnight'' (1989)
* ''
I, Ripper
''I, Ripper'' is a 2015 novel by the American author Stephen Hunter.
Plot
A fictional diary of serial killer Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district o ...
'' (2015)
* ''Basil's War'' (2021)
Short stories
*"Casey at the Bat" (2010) (in ''Agents of Treachery'', edited by
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 ...
)
Non-fiction
* ''Violent Screen: A Critic's 13 Years on the Front Lines of Movie Mayhem'' (1996)
* ''Now Playing at the Valencia: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Essays on Movies'' (2005)
* ''American Gunfight: The Plot to Kill Harry Truman and the Shoot-out that Stopped It'' (2005) with John Bainbridge, Jr.,
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Stephen
1946 births
Living people
Writers from Kansas City, Missouri
American film critics
Pulitzer Prize for Criticism winners
American crime fiction writers
American thriller writers
20th-century American novelists
The Baltimore Sun people
The Washington Post people
United States Army soldiers
Medill School of Journalism alumni
Writers from Baltimore
21st-century American novelists
American male novelists
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers
Novelists from Maryland
Novelists from Missouri
20th-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
American male non-fiction writers