World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Ellery Queen

エラリー・クイーン

Eraryī Kuīn

Pen Names: Barnaby Ross（Alternate pseudonym used by Dannay and Lee (Drury Lane novels)）, Ellery Queen Jr.（Pen name used for juvenile novels / house name）

Profile

Gender
Unknown
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
author, editor
Active Years
1929-1971
Influenced By
S. S. Van Dine, Edgar Allan Poe
Influenced
Many later mystery writers (tradition of fair-play mysteries), Japanese mystery authors and popular culture (influence on magazines, TV, games)
Nominations
1962: Best Short Story (Ellery Queen 1962 Anthology) — runner-up, 1964: Best Novel (The Player on the Other Side) — runner-up

Education

New York University
English / Department of English
Degree: 文学士 (Bachelor of Arts)
Country: United States
Manfred B. Lee (born Emanuel Benjamin Lepofsky) reportedly graduated summa cum laude in English from NYU; exact year uncertain

Awards

Edgar Award (Best Radio Drama)
1946
Work: The Adventures of Ellery Queen (radio series)
Category: ラジオドラマ（Best Radio Drama）
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Special Edgar Award
1950
Work: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (for ten years' service)
Category: 特別賞（功績）
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Grand Master (Edgar Award)
1961
Category: 生涯功労（Grand Master）
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Special Edgar Award (40th anniversary)
1969
Work: The Roman Hat Mystery (40th anniversary)
Category: 特別賞（記念）
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Roman Hat Mystery

1929 Detective fiction

The first full-length novel published under the Ellery Queen name. A geographically titled fair-play detective puzzle that presents the reader with all the clues needed to solve the case.

fair playintellectual puzzlered herrings
Adaptations
  • [film] The Spanish Cape Mystery (film adaptation) (1935)
Translations
  • The Roman Hat Mystery (Japanese translation)

Calamity Town

1942 Detective fiction / Small-town drama

One of the Wrightsville novels. Emphasizes character relationships and psychological elements, marking a shift from purely puzzle-focused books.

human relationshipspsychological insightsmall-town community
Adaptations
  • [film / adaptation] The Three Undelivered Letters (Japanese film loosely based on Calamity Town) / Nomura Yoshitarō (1979)
Translations
  • Calamity Town (Japanese translation)

The Player on the Other Side

1963 Mystery (ghostwritten/collaboration)

A collaboration (ghostwritten with Theodore Sturgeon) that explores motive and psychological depth more than many earlier Queen novels.

motivepsychologyexperimental techniques

Bibliography

  • The Roman Hat Mystery (1929)
  • The French Powder Mystery (1930)
  • The Dutch Shoe Mystery (1931)
  • Calamity Town (1942)
  • A Fine and Private Place (1971)

Adaptations

  • Film adaptations (1935–1942, multiple films) and the 1975 TV series

Translations of Works

  • The Roman Hat Mystery (Japanese translation)
  • Calamity Town (Japanese translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
fair-play mystery (presenting clues to the reader)puzzle-driven, logical plottinglater works incorporate psychological and experimental elements
Recurring Motifs
Challenge to the Reader (direct challenge to readers)false solution followed by true solutiongeographic/formulaic titles (e.g., The Dutch Shoe Mystery)

Legacy

The body of work under the Ellery Queen name epitomizes the fair-play tradition; through founding and editing Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and producing numerous novels, radio shows, films and TV adaptations, the name had a major influence on the mystery field internationally.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of America

Archives

  • Columbia University Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Frederic Dannay papers)
  • Yale Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (Ellery Queen Papers)

In Popular Culture

  • Featured on Nicaragua (1973) and San Marino (1979) stamps
  • TV series (1975–76 starring Jim Hutton) and multiple films and radio programs
  • Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine remains in print (published by Dell Magazines)

Quotes

  • As an anthologist, Ellery Queen is without peer; his taste unequalled. As a bibliographer and collector of the detective short story, Queen is a historical personage.
    Source: Otto Penzler (commentary in Detectionary / criticism) (1977)

Trivia

  • Ellery Queen was created as a joint pseudonym by Dannay and Lee in 1928.
  • Books credited to Ellery Queen reportedly sold over 150 million copies worldwide (figures vary by source).
  • Frederic Dannay founded and edited Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine starting in 1941.
  • The Mystery Writers of America established the Ellery Queen Award in 1983 to honor teams and industry figures; the award name is derived from Ellery Queen.
  • Received the MWA Grand Master award in 1961.