Lilian Jackson Braun (June 20, 1913June 4, 2011) was an American writer well known for her light-hearted series of ''The Cat Who...''

mystery novel Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a re ...

s. ''The Cat Who'' books center on the life of (former) newspaper reporter, James Qwilleran, and his two

Siamese cat The Siamese cat ( th, แมวไทย, Maeo Thai; แมวสยาม, Maeo Seeaam) is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Asian cat. Derived from the Wichianmat landrace, one of several varieties of cat native to Thailand ( ...

s, Koko (short for Kao K'o Kung) and Yum Yum, first in an unnamed city and then in the fictitious small town of Pickax located in Moose County "400 miles north of everywhere." Although never formally stated in her books, the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

s, counties and lifestyles described in the series are generally accepted to be modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan, where Braun resided with her husband until the mid-1980s.

Life and career

Born Lilian Jackson in Willimansett, Chicopee, Massachusetts, to Charles Jackson and Clara Ward Jackson, she began her writing career as a teenager, contributing sports poetry for the ''

Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on Februar ...

''. She went on to write advertising copy for many of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

's department stores. For the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' she worked as the "Good Living" editor for 30 years, and retired from that post in 1978. Between 1966 and 1968, she published three novels to critical acclaim: '' The Cat Who Could Read Backwards'', ''

The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern Lilian Jackson Braun (June 20, 1913June 4, 2011) was an American writer well known for her light-hearted series of Cat Who series, ''The Cat Who...'' mystery novels. ''The Cat Who'' books center on the life of (former) newspaper reporter, James Q ...

'', and '' The Cat Who Turned On and Off''. In 1966, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' labeled Braun "the new detective of the year." The rising mystery writer then disappeared from the publishing scene for 18 years. In 1986, the

Berkley Publishing Group Berkley Books is an imprint of the Penguin Group. History Berkley Books began as an independent company in 1955. It was founded as "Chic News Company" by Charles Byrne and Frederick Klein, who had worked for Avon; they quickly renamed it Berkl ...

reintroduced her work to a new generation of fans with the publication of an original

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, ...

, '' The Cat Who Saw Red''. Within two years, Berkley released four new novels in paperback and reprinted her first three from the 1960s. Braun's series again rose to the top of best seller lists.

Penguin Group Penguin Group is a British trade book publisher and part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. The new company was created by a merger that was finalised on 1 July 2013, with Bertelsmann initi ...

released the 29th novel in her series, ''The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers'', in January 2007. Like many writers of her generation, Braun was an admitted technophobe; she wrote all of her books in long hand and then typed them herself. Little was known about Braun, who was protective of her private life. Publishers long gave an incorrect year (1916) for her birth date, which remained unknown until she finally gave her true age during a 2005 interview with the ''Detroit News''. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Louis Paul Braun, a sister, Florence Jackson, and a brother, Lloyd Jackson. She resided in

Tryon, North Carolina Tryon is a town in Polk County, on the southwestern border of North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,646. Located in the escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, today the area is affluent and a center f ...

, with her (second) husband of 32 years, Earl Bettinger, and their two cats. Each of her books is dedicated to "Earl Bettinger, the Husband Who..." Earl A. Bettinger (born November 24, 1923) died at the age 96 on 20 July 2020.

Death

Braun died at the Hospice House of the Carolina Foothills, in

Landrum, South Carolina Landrum is a city in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,376 at the 2010 census. Landrum was founded in 1880 and incorporated in 1912. It is located just west of Interstate 26 between Spartanburg and Asheville, ...

, from a lung infection.

"The Cat Who..." novels

#'' The Cat Who Could Read Backwards'' (1966) – In 1966, ''

'' labeled Braun "the new detective of the year." #''

'' (1967) #'' The Cat Who Turned On and Off'' (1968) #'' The Cat Who Saw Red'' (1986) (Nominated for the 1987 Anthony Award and Edgar Award, Best Paperback Original) #'' The Cat Who Played Brahms'' (1987) (Nominated for the

1988 Anthony Award Bouchercon is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher; also the inspiration for the Anthony Awards, which have been issued at the conve ...

, Best Paperback Original) #'' The Cat Who Played Post Office'' (1987) #'' The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare'' (1988) #'' The Cat Who Sniffed Glue'' (1988) #''

The Cat Who Went Underground ''The Cat Who Went Underground'' is the ninth novel in ''The Cat Who'' series of murder mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun. Plot introduction ''This summary is taken from the back cover of the Recorded Books () version of the book:'' "Des ...

'' (1989) #'' The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts'' (1990) #'' The Cat Who Lived High'' (1990) #'' The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal'' (1991) #''The Cat Who Moved a Mountain'' (1992) #''The Cat Who Wasn't There'' (1992) #''The Cat Who Went into the Closet'' (1993) #'' The Cat Who Came to Breakfast'' (1994) #''The Cat Who Blew the Whistle'' (1995) #'' The Cat Who Said Cheese'' (1996) #'' The Cat Who Tailed a Thief'' (1997) #''

The Cat Who Sang for the Birds ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1999) #'' The Cat Who Saw Stars'' (copyright, 1998; published, 1999) #'' The Cat Who Robbed a Bank'' (2000) #'' The Cat Who Smelled a Rat'' (2001) #'' The Cat Who Went up the Creek'' (2002) #''

The Cat Who Brought Down the House ''The Cat Who Brought Down the House'' (2003) is the 25th novel in ''The Cat Who'' series written by Lillian Jackson Braun. Plot introduction A native of Moose County, Thelma Thackeray, is returning to die. She is 82, has fame and fortune, and o ...

'' (2003) #'' The Cat Who Talked Turkey'' (2004) #'' The Cat Who Went Bananas'' (2005) #'' The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell'' (2006) #'' The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers'' (2007) #'' The Cat Who Smelled Smoke'' (cancelled by publisher, Putnam)

Short stories

#''The Cat Who Had 14 Tales'' (1988) #''The Private Life of the Cat Who...'' (2003) #''Short and Tall Tales'' (2003)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Lilian Jackson 1913 births American mystery writers 2011 deaths Detroit Free Press people People from Chicopee, Massachusetts Women mystery writers American women novelists Novelists from Massachusetts American women journalists Deaths from respiratory tract infection 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers People from Bad Axe, Michigan Novelists from Michigan People from Tryon, North Carolina 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers