Dashiell Hammett

American writer
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Also known as: Samuel Dashiell Hammett
Quick Facts
In full:
Samuel Dashiell Hammett
Born:
May 27, 1894, St. Mary’s County, Maryland, U.S.
Died:
January 10, 1961, New York City, New York (aged 66)

Dashiell Hammett (born May 27, 1894, St. Mary’s County, Maryland, U.S.—died January 10, 1961, New York City, New York) was an American writer who created the hard-boiled school of detective fiction in popular short stories and novels that pioneered the use of tough, slangy prose and realistic urban settings. Many of Hammett’s works were adapted into movies that became among the finest examples of film noir. Among his indelible characters are Sam Spade, the quintessential world-weary private eye, and Nick and Nora Charles, a dashing, cocktail-loving husband-and-wife team who solve murder mysteries. Hammett left school at 13 and worked at ...(100 of 474 words)