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Evan Hunter

エヴァン・ハンター

Evan Hunter

Aliases: Ed McBain / Salvatore Albert Lombino / S. A. Lombino / John Abbott / Curt Cannon / Hunt Collins / Ezra Hannon / Richard Marsten
Pen Names: Ed McBain（Primary pen name used for the 87th Precinct police procedural series and other crime fiction）, John Abbott（Used for some crime/genre novels）, Richard Marsten（Used in the 1950s for some science fiction and YA works）, S. A. Lombino（Early work credited to his birth name (short fiction, SF)）, Hunt Collins（Used in the 1950s for some crime fiction）, Ezra Hannon（Used for some works (later reissued under Hunter/McBain)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1926-10-15 （New York City, U.S.）
Died
2005-07-06 （Weston, Connecticut, U.S.） age 78
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
East Harlem (childhood) → The Bronx (adolescence) → Weston, Connecticut (later life)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Short story writer, Screenwriter
Active Years
1951-2005

Education

Cooper Union
Art (attended)
Period: 1940年代（在籍期）
Country: United States
Admitted as an art student on scholarship
Hunter College
English and Psychology (minors in dramatics and education)
Degree: 学士
Period: 1946–1950
Year of Graduation: 1950
Country: United States
Graduated Phi Beta Kappa

Awards

Edgar Award nomination (Best Short Story)
1956
Work: The Last Spin
Category: 短編
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: ノミネート
Edgar Award nomination (Best Novel)
2002
Work: Money, Money, Money
Category: 長編
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: ノミネート
Edgar Award nomination (Best Motion Picture)
1964
Work: The Birds (screenplay)
Category: 映画
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: ノミネート
Grand Master
1986
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Diamond Dagger
1998
Organization: British Crime Writers Association
Result: 受賞（初めてのアメリカ人受賞者）
Anthony Award nomination (Best Series of the Century)
2000
Work: 87th Precinct series
Category: シリーズ
Organization: Bouchercon / Anthony Awards
Result: ノミネート

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Cop Hater

1956 Crime fiction / Police procedural

The first novel in the 87th Precinct series, depicting urban crime and the procedures and teamwork of a police department.

Urban crimePolice procedureTeamwork

The Blackboard Jungle

1954 Social novel / Young adult

A semi-autobiographical novel about life in a troubled public school, adapted into a successful 1955 film.

Education issuesJuvenile delinquencyUrban society
Adaptations
  • [Film] Blackboard Jungle / Richard Brooks (1955)

Fuzz

1968 Police/crime novel with comedic elements

An 87th Precinct novel blending crime and lighter, sometimes comedic elements in police interactions.

Criminal investigationOrganizational interpersonal dynamics
Adaptations
  • [Film] Fuzz / Richard A. Colla (1972)

The Birds (screenplay)

1963 Screenplay / Suspense

Screenplay adaptation (credited) for Alfred Hitchcock's film based on Daphne du Maurier's short story.

FearMan versus nature

Bibliography

  • The Blackboard Jungle (1954)
  • Cop Hater (1956)
  • 87th Precinct series (numerous, 1956–2005)
  • Fuzz (1968)
  • Candyland (2000)

Adaptations

  • Blackboard Jungle → 1955 film (dir. Richard Brooks)
  • A Matter of Conviction → 1961 film 'The Young Savages' (dir. John Frankenheimer)
  • King's Ransom → source material adapted/influenced Akira Kurosawa's 'High and Low' (1963)
  • Fuzz → 1972 film (dir. Richard A. Colla)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Concise, procedural police-writing styleRealistic narration weaving multiple character perspectives
Recurring Motifs
Urban crime and banalityConflict between duty and humanityTeamwork and colleague relationships

Health

  • Heart attacks (multiple)
    1987–2005
    Suffered heart attacks from 1987 onward and underwent surgery; affected health and activities
  • Laryngeal cancer
    1992–2005
    Precancerous lesion found in 1992 and removed; cancer later recurred and was cause of death in 2005

Legacy

Evan Hunter / Ed McBain significantly contributed to establishing the police procedural; his 87th Precinct series became a genre staple. He received international recognition, including MWA's Grand Master award.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of America

Archives

  • Hunter College archives (holds related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • The 87th Precinct series was adapted for TV and film and influenced police dramas

Quotes

  • Find their voice—for it is the most important thing in any novel.
    Source: Evan Hunter, 'Dig in and get it done', The Writer (2005) (2005)

Trivia

  • Legally changed his name to Evan Hunter in 1952.
  • Best known under the pen name Ed McBain for the 87th Precinct series.
  • Wrote the source novel for the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle.
  • Worked on the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.
  • Received the BCA Diamond Dagger in 1998 as the first American recipient.
  • Long-term smoker; suffered multiple heart attacks and laryngeal cancer.