Dashiell Hammett Summary

Hammett, Dashiell (1894-1961) For a writer who turned out only five novels, Dashiell Hammett made a strong and lasting impression on the twentieth century and is considered one of the founding fathers... Read more

Biography EssayIn March 1928, just after Dashiell Hammett had submitted his first novel for publication, he wrote to his editor, Blanche Knopf, that unlike most moderately literate people, he took det... Read more

"I'm one of the few--if there are any more--people moderately literate who take the detective story seriously," Dashiell Hammett wrote to his publisher in 1928 at the beginning of his novel-writing ca... Read more

Macdonald, a highly regarded author in the crime fiction genre, was the author of numerous books, including a series of novels featuring private investigator Lew Archer. In the following excerpt, he n... Read more

In the following review of The Novels of Dashiell Hammett, Durham notes the importance of Hammett's short stories and their influence on his novels. What can one say about the novels of Dashiel... Read more

In this excerpt from a review of The Big Knockover, Gardner comments on Hammett's literary style and imaginative use of the detective fiction genre. Fitzgerald said he was haunted by the convic... Read more

In this excerpt Marcus discusses the philosophical underpinnings of Hammett's work; he also finds that Hammett's protagonists are often involved in a "fiction-making" activ... Read more

In the following essay, Morris notes similarities between the works of Hammett and those of several other writers who have depicted corruption in society. Critics of the subgenre long ago recognized D... Read more

Critical Essay by Philip Durham The chief characteristic of Hammett's stories was the hero, the hard-boiled private eye. The kind of hero who, almost a commonplace until the 1930s, is almost an... Read more