Sue Grafton
Sue Grafton | |
---|---|
Born | Sue Taylor Grafton April 24, 1940 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
Died | December 28, 2017 | (aged 77)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Louisville |
Occupation | Novelist |
Spouse | Steven F. Humphrey |
Parent |
|
Writing career | |
Period | 1964–2017 (first published novel: 1967) |
Genre | Mystery |
Notable works | Kinsey Millhone Alphabet series |
Signature | |
Website | suegrafton |
Sue Taylor Grafton (April 24, 1940 – December 28, 2017) was an American author of
Early life
Sue Grafton was born in
Her father was a
Grafton and her older sister Ann grew up in Louisville, where she went to
After graduating, Grafton worked as a hospital admissions clerk, a cashier, and a medical secretary in Santa Monica and Santa Barbara, California.[8]
Grafton's mother killed herself in 1960 after returning home from an operation to remove esophageal cancer brought on by years of drinking and smoking. Her father died in 1982, a few months before "A" Is for Alibi was published.[9]
Writing career
Grafton's father was enamored of detective fiction and wrote at night. He taught Grafton lessons on the writing and editing process and groomed her to be a writer. Inspired by her father, Grafton began writing when she was 18 and finished her first novel four years later. She continued writing and completed six more novels. Only two of these seven novels (Keziah Dane and The Lolly-Madonna War) were published.[5][10] Grafton would later destroy the manuscripts for her five early, unpublished novels.[11]
Unable to find success with her novels, Grafton turned to screenplays.
Her experience as a screenwriter taught her the basics of structuring a story, writing dialogue, and creating action sequences. Grafton then felt ready to return to writing fiction.[13] While going through a "bitter divorce and custody battle that lasted six long years", Grafton imagined ways to kill or maim her ex-husband. Her fantasies were so vivid that she decided to write them down.[16]
Alphabet series
Grafton had been fascinated by mysteries series whose titles were related, such as John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series, each of which included a color in the title, and Harry Kemelman's Rabbi Small series, each of which included a day of the week in the title. While reading Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies, a picture book with an alphabetized list of ways for children to die, Grafton decided to write a series of novels whose titles would follow the alphabet. She immediately sat down and made a list of all of the crime-related words that she knew.[13]
These became the series now known as the "alphabet novels", featuring sleuth and private investigator Kinsey Millhone. The series is set in Santa Teresa, a fictionalized version of Santa Barbara.[17] Grafton followed the lead of Ross Macdonald, who created the fictional version of the city.[18] Grafton described Kinsey Millhone as her alter ego, "the person I might have been had I not married young and had children."[9]
The series begins with "A" Is for Alibi, published and set in 1982. "B" Is for Burglar, followed, then "C" Is for Corpse, each novel's title combining a letter with a word, except
Grafton's novels have been published in 28 countries and in 26 languages.
Writing style
Grafton's style is characteristic of hardboiled detective fiction, according to the authors of 'G' is for Grafton, who describe it as "laconic, breezy, wise-cracking".[25] The novels are framed as reports Kinsey writes in the course of her investigations, which are signed off in the epilogue of each novel. The first-person narrative allows the reader to see through the eyes of Kinsey, who chronicles various descriptions of "eccentric buildings and places", giving depth to the narrative.[26] The repeated descriptions of the Santa Barbara shoreline (chronicled as Kinsey's early morning runs), are "skillful, evocative writing of a caliber that takes Grafton well beyond being categorized as 'merely' a writer of detective fiction and into the so-called mainstream of 'serious' American fiction."[27]
Awards
Year | Title | Award | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | "B" Is for Burglar | Anthony Awards for Best Novel | [28][29][30][31] |
1986 | "B" Is for Burglar | Shamus Award for Best P. I. Hardcover Novel | [29][32] |
1987 | "C" Is for Corpse | Anthony Awards for Best Novel | [28][29][30][31] |
1987 | "The Parker Shotgun" from Mean Streets | Anthony Awards for Best Short Story | [29][30][31] |
1991 | "G" Is for Gumshoe | Anthony Awards for Best Novel | [30][31] |
1991 | "G" Is for Gumshoe | Shamus Award for Best P. I. Hardcover Novel | [29][32] |
1995 | "K" Is for Killer | Shamus Award for Best P. I. Hardcover Novel | [29][32] |
2000 | YWCA of Lexington Smith-Breckinridge: Distinguished Woman of Achievement Award | [33] | |
2003 | Shamus Lifetime Achievement Award | ||
2004 | Ross Macdonald Literary Award | ||
2008 | Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger | ||
2009 | Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award | [34] | |
2013 | Bouchercon's Lifetime Achievement Award | [35] | |
2014 | Character: Kinsey Millhone
|
Shamus Award for Best P. I. Series Character | |
2014 | Shamus Award for Best P. I. Hardcover Novel | ||
2018 | "Y" is for Yesterday | Bill Crider Award for Novel in a Series | [36] |
Personal life
Grafton first married in 1959, aged 18, to James L. Flood, with whom she had a son and a daughter. The two divorced by the time Grafton graduated from college in 1961. Her second marriage was with Al Schmidt in 1962 but it ended with protracted divorce and custody proceedings over their daughter.[34]
She married her third husband, Steven F. Humphrey, in 1978.[10] They divided their time between Santa Barbara, California, and Louisville, Kentucky;[5] Humphrey taught at universities in both cities.[16] In 2000, the couple bought and later restored Lincliff, a 28-acre (11 ha) Louisville estate once owned by hardware baron William Richardson Belknap.[5][37]
Grafton died at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara on December 28, 2017, after a two-year battle with cancer of the appendix.[1][22][38][10]
In 2019, an award in Grafton's memory was established by
Works
- Keziah Dane (1967)
- The Lolly-Madonna War (1969) – filmed as Lolly-Madonna XXX (1973)
Alphabet Mystery series
- "A" Is for Alibi (1982)
- "B" Is for Burglar (1985)
- "C" Is for Corpse (1986)
- "D" Is for Deadbeat (1987)
- "E" Is for Evidence (1988)
- "F" Is for Fugitive (1989)
- "G" Is for Gumshoe (1990)
- "H" Is for Homicide (1991)
- "I" Is for Innocent (1992)
- "J" Is for Judgment (1993)
- "K" Is for Killer (1994)
- "L" Is for Lawless (1995)
- "M" Is for Malice (1996)
- "N" Is for Noose (1998)
- "O" Is for Outlaw (1999)
- "P" Is for Peril (2001)
- "Q" Is for Quarry (2002)
- "R" Is for Ricochet (2004)
- "S" Is for Silence (2005)
- "T" Is for Trespass (2007)
- "U" Is for Undertow (2009)
- "V" Is for Vengeance (2011)
- "W" Is for Wasted (2013)
- "X" (2015)
- "Y" Is for Yesterday (2017)
Essays and short stories
- "Teaching a Child" (2013) – essay in the anthology Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting, published by W. W. Norton & Company.
- Kinsey and Me (2013) – a collection of nine Kinsey Millhone short stories along with 12 other short stories about Grafton's own mother. The Kinsey Millhone stories, with one exception, appeared in magazines and mystery anthologies between 1986 and 1991. The dozen other stories, none previously published, feature Kit Blue, who, Grafton said, "is simply a younger version of myself."[40] The book also includes a preface, introductions to the two separate story collections, and a previously published essay on hard-boiled private investigators.
- The Lying Game (2003) – a Kinsey Millhone short story which appeared in the September 2003 special 40th anniversary Lands' End catalogue. It also appeared as a separate pamphlet given to attendees at Malice Domestic 2011 conference, where Grafton was recognized for Lifetime Achievement. It is included in Kinsey and Me.
- If You Want Something Done Right . . . (Published 2020) An unpublished story found among Sue Grafton's papers by her husband after her death and originally published in ’Deadly Anniversaries, edited by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini.[41] Reprinted in The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021, edited by Lee Child.
In popular culture
Grafton's introduction of a young, no-nonsense female private detective in the Alphabet Mystery series was ground-breaking at the time when A is for Alibi was first released in 1982. Until the creation of Kinsey Milhone and
- In the "Mayham" episode of The Sopranos, Carmela sits by Tony's bedside in the hospital, reading Sue Grafton's "G" Is for Gumshoe.[43]
- In the " Phyllis continues to ask until she is thrown out of the store in front of all her friends. Meanwhile, Andy and Creed talk about how "crazy hot" the author is.
- A scene in the film Stranger than Fiction shows Prof. Hilbert reading the Sue Grafton novel "I" Is for Innocent while serving as a lifeguard.[45][46]
- In the Superego podcast Season 3 Episode 14, guest star, actor and comedian, Rob Delaney impersonates Sue Grafton.[47]
- Sketch comedy group "The Whitest Kids U' Know" parodied Grafton in their sketch "A Is For".
- Kinsey Millhone is featured in cameo appearances in crime novels by other authors. Bill Pronzini and Marcia Muller have their fictional detective spot Millhone at a convention in Chicago. Sara Paretsky has her sleuth V. I. Warshawski envy Millhone's organization.[48]
- Mick Herron has his fictional detective Zöe Bohm drive a loaned orange VW with a map of Santa Teresa, California in the glovebox in Why We Die.
- In the ninth episode of the first season of Tracey Wigfield sitcom Great News ("Carol Has A Bully"), the character Carol (Andrea Martin) secretly reads a fictional Sue Grafton book, "S is for Sex Murder" when she is supposed to be studying.
References
- ^ a b Ellis, Ralph (December 29, 2017). "Sue Grafton, mystery writer who based titles on the alphabet, dies at 77". CNN. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Ward, Kat (August 9, 2015). "Sue Grafton In Conversation". hometown-pasadena.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ "Kinsey Millhone's PI Report on Sue Grafton". Sue Grafton official website. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
- ^ Schudel, Matt (December 29, 2017). "Sue Grafton, author of best-selling 'alphabet' mysteries, dies at 77". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Myers, Marc (August 22, 2017). "Author Sue Grafton's Scary Childhood Home". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Shanklin, Sherlene (December 29, 2017). "Hometown Hero, local author Sue Grafton dies at 77". WHAS-TV. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ "Questions and Answers". Sue Grafton Website. Archived from the original on March 28, 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ a b c "The Kinsey Report". Sue Grafton Website. Archived from the original on November 18, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ a b Crace, John (March 18, 2013). "Sue Grafton: 'My childhood ended when I was five'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
- ^ a b c Genzlinger, Neil (December 29, 2017). "Sue Grafton, Whose Detective Novels Spanned the Alphabet, Dies at 77". The New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ a b Carlson, Michael (January 3, 2018). "Sue Grafton obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ "'Lolly-Madonna' changed lives". Anchorage Daily News. July 8, 1973. p. 14.
- ^ a b c d "A Conversation with Sue Grafton". Sue Grafton Website. 1996. Archived from the original on December 31, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (March 9, 1983). "TV Movie: 'Svengali'". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ "More credits for'Svengali'". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ a b c White, Claire E. "A Conversation with Sue Grafton". Writers Write. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ Brantingham, Barney (July 1, 2008). "W Is for Writers Conference; Sue Grafton Is Kinsey Millhone". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
- ^ "Bestselling Mystery Writer Sue Grafton To Speak at Annual Literary Voices Event". The Metropolitan Library System of Oklahoma County. 2007. Archived from the original on July 11, 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ Media Bistro. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Brantingham, Barney (April 29, 2010). "Just Who Is Kinsey Millhone?". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- Pittsburgh, PA: Block Communications. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ a b c Loosemore, Bailey (December 29, 2017). "Sue Grafton, internationally acclaimed mystery author and Louisville native, dies". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Richards, Linda L. (1997). ""G" Is for Grafton: Sue Grafton's Murderous Moments". January Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ Cowles, Gregory (January 5, 2018). "Before Sue Grafton Was a Star". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- ^ Kaufman (1997), 385
- ^ Kaufman (1997), 386
- ^ Kaufman (1997), 390
- ^ a b "AnthonyAwards". Fantastic Fiction. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bouchercon World Mystery Convention: Anthony Awards and History". Bouchercon.info. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "The Anthony Awards: A Literary Award for Crime Fiction". Crime Fiction Awards. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Every Winner of the Anthony Award for Best Novel, Assembled For Your Crime Reading Pleasure". CrimeReads. October 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Sue Grafton". Fantastic Fiction. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ "YWCA to honor Grafton". Lexington Herald-Leader. June 4, 2000. p. H5.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-230-52537-5. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ "History of Guests of Honor". Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "The 2018 Anthony Award Winners". CrimeReads. September 10, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
- ^ Ward, Logan (2014). "Sue Grafton's Kentucky Garden". Garden & Gun. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ "Mystery writer Sue Grafton dies in California". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- ^ "G.P. Putnam's Sons Launches Sue Grafton Memorial Award". publishersweetly.com. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ^ Sue Grafton, "Introduction," Kinsey and Me - stories, G. P. Putnam, 1993, p. xvi
- ^ Otto Prenzler, "Forward", The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021, edited by Lee Child, The Mysterious Press, New York, p. xiv and "Contents", n.p.
- ^ Kim, Victoria (December 30, 2017). "Famed mystery writer Sue Grafton loses battle against cancer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
- ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (January 13, 2007). "The Coma-Back Kid". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ^ a b Fenno, Christine (October 28, 2007). "The Office: See Spot Not Run". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ^ Crust, Kevin (November 10, 2006). "He's hearing things". Los Angeles Times. p. E1.
- ^ Silvis, Steffen (April 11, 2007). "One character in search of an author". The Prague Post.
- ^ "Sue Grafton – The Superego Podcast: Profiles In Self-Obsession". Gosuperego.com. July 1, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ^ Everett, Todd (May 23, 1991). "Mystery Town: Whodunit author Sue Grafton lives in Santa Barbara and sets her tales in Santa Teresa". Los Angeles Times. p. J15.
Sources
- Kaufman, Natalie Hevener; Kay, Carol McGinnis (1997). "G" Is for Grafton: The World of Kinsey Millhone (Hardcover ed.). Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-5446-4.
Further reading
- "Sue Grafton Obituary". The Guardian. January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- Blakesley Lindsay, Elizabeth. (2007) Great Women Mystery Writers. "Sue Grafton". pp 95–8. Westport Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-33428-5
- Cowles, Gregory (January 5, 2018). "Before Sue Grafton Was a Star". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-4794-4546-2.
- Kim, Victoria (December 29, 2017). "Famed Mystery writer Sue Grafton loses battle against cancer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
External links
- Official website
- Sue Grafton at IMDb
- Sue Grafton at the Internet Book Database of Fiction