World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Elmore Leonard

エルモア・レナード

Elmore Leonard

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1925-10-11 （New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.）
Died
2013-08-20 （Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U.S.） age 87
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
New Orleans (birth) → Detroit (long-term residence) → Oakland County / Bloomfield Hills (later life) → South Florida (frequent setting in his works)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Screenwriter, Short story writer
Active Years
1951-2013
Influenced By
Ernest Hemingway, George V. Higgins
Influenced
George Pelecanos, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman

Education

University of Detroit
English and Philosophy
Degree: Bachelor's degree
Period: 1946–1950
Year of Graduation: 1950
Country: United States
Attended on the G.I. Bill. After graduation worked as a copy writer while writing on the side.

Awards

Edgar Award (Best Mystery Novel)
1984
Work: LaBrava
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Grand Master Award
1992
Category: Lifetime Achievement
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
PEN Lifetime Achievement Award
2009
Category: Lifetime Achievement
Organization: PEN (organization)
Result: 受賞
F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Award
2008
Category: Outstanding achievement in American literature
Organization: Montgomery College (F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference)
Result: 受賞
Peabody Award
2010
Work: TV series Justified
Organization: Peabody Awards
Result: 受賞
National Book Award, Medal for Distinguished Contribution
2012
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Hombre

1961 Western

A western about an Apache-raised man navigating prejudice, revenge and justice.

outsider protagonistjusticerace and prejudice
Adaptations
  • [Film] Hombre / Martin Ritt (1967)

The Big Bounce

1969 Crime fiction

A crime novel about a young man entangled in crime and chance; adapted to film multiple times.

crimechanceoutsiders
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Big Bounce / Alex March (1969 film) / George Armitage (2004 adaptation) (1969)
  • [Film] The Big Bounce (2004) / George Armitage (2004)

LaBrava

1983 Crime fiction / Suspense

Set in South Florida, a novel mixing romance and crime.

crimemedia and famenostalgia

Glitz

1985 Crime fiction

A crime novel set amid gambling and violence in Atlantic City; one of Leonard's breakout crime works.

gamblingviolencevoice-driven characterization
Adaptations
  • [TV movie] Glitz / Nick Gomez (1988)

Get Shorty

1990 Crime novel / Comedy elements

A crime-comedy about a mobster trying to break into the movie business, notable for its black humor.

crime vs. film industryblack humorcommercialism
Adaptations
  • [Film] Get Shorty / Barry Sonnenfeld (1995)
  • [TV series] Get Shorty (TV series) (2017)

Rum Punch

1992 Crime fiction

A crime novel involving deception and loyalty; adapted by Quentin Tarantino into Jackie Brown.

betrayalcorruption and redemptionworkplace ethics
Adaptations
  • [Film] Jackie Brown / Quentin Tarantino (1997)

Out of Sight

1996 Crime fiction / Romance elements

A crime novel about the fraught relationship between a bank robber and a federal marshal; adapted by Steven Soderbergh.

crime and romancemoral ambiguitycharacterization through dialogue
Adaptations
  • [Film] Out of Sight / Steven Soderbergh (1998)

Tishomingo Blues

2002 Crime fiction

A novel set in the American South about crime and settling with the past.

Southern culturepast and reckoningviolence

Bibliography

  • The Bounty Hunters (1953)
  • The Law at Randado (1954)
  • Hombre (1961)
  • The Big Bounce (1969)
  • LaBrava (1983)
  • Glitz (1985)
  • Get Shorty (1990)
  • Rum Punch (1992)
  • Out of Sight (1996)
  • Tishomingo Blues (2002)
  • Raylan (2012)

Adaptations

  • Jackie Brown (film, 1997)
  • Get Shorty (film, 1995) / TV series (2017–)
  • Out of Sight (film, 1998)
  • Justified (TV series, 2010–2015)
  • 3:10 to Yuma (1957, 2007)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
gritty realism and concise prosecharacterization through sharp dialoguedark humor and brisk pacing
Recurring Motifs
outsiders/underdogscrime and violenceregional America (Detroit, South Florida, the South)

Health

  • Stroke
    2013-07-29 to 2013-08-20
    Suffered a stroke on July 29, 2013; initially reported to be recovering but died of complications on August 20, 2013.

Legacy

Elmore Leonard was widely acclaimed for his sharp dialogue and gritty crime realism; his work profoundly influenced later crime writers and was frequently adapted into films and television, making a lasting impact on popular culture.

Museums

  • University of South Carolina, Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections (Elmore Leonard Papers) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. Opened in 2014

Archives

  • Elmore Leonard Papers — University of South Carolina, Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections

In Popular Culture

  • The TV series Justified (2010–2015) is based on Leonard's character Raylan Givens
  • Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown (1997) is adapted from Rum Punch
  • Get Shorty was adapted into a film (1995) and a TV series (2017–)

Quotes

  • My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.
    Source: Essay: "10 Rules of Writing" (2001)
  • I try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip.
    Source: Essay: "10 Rules of Writing" (2001)

Trivia

  • Grandchild Alex Leonard is the drummer in the Detroit band Protomartyr.
  • His papers and personal items were donated to the University of South Carolina.
  • The short story "Three-Ten to Yuma" was adapted into film twice (1957, 2007).