Grand Prix de Littérature Policière
1 appearances
Mary Higgins Clark
メアリー・ヒギンズ・クラーク
Mary Higgins Clark
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1927-12-24 （New York City, U.S.）
- Died
- 2020-01-31 （Naples, Florida, U.S.） age 92
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Catholic
- Residence History
- The Bronx (New York City) → Washington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey → Saddle River, New Jersey → Manhattan (New York City) → Dennis, Massachusetts → Naples, Florida
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Author
- Active Years
- 1975-2020
- Affiliations
- Mystery Writers of America (served as president and board member), American Irish Historical Society
- Memberships
- Mystery Writers of America
- Influenced By
- Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier
- Influenced
- Carol Higgins Clark, Mary Jane Clark
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villa Maria Academy | — | Secondary education | — | 不明（高校相当） | United States |
| Wood Secretarial School | — | Secretarial program | — | 卒業年不明（高校卒業後） | United States |
| Fordham University | — | Philosophy | BA（文学士） | 1971–1979（夜間・通学） | United States |
Villa Maria Academy
Secondary education
Period:
不明（高校相当）
Country:
United States
Attended on scholarship; teachers encouraged her writing.
Wood Secretarial School
Secretarial program
Period:
卒業年不明（高校卒業後）
Country:
United States
Vocational secretarial training completed after high school.
Fordham University
Philosophy
Degree:
BA（文学士）
Period:
1971–1979（夜間・通学）
Year of Graduation:
1979
Country:
United States
Earned BA in philosophy, summa cum laude, at the Lincoln Center campus.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Grand Prix de Littérature Policière | A Stranger Is Watching | 国際賞 | Grand Prix de Littérature Policière (France) | Won |
| 1990 | Colorado Blue Spruce Award | The Cradle Will Fall | — | Partners in Literacy (Colorado) | Won |
| 2000 | Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award | — | 功労賞（生涯業績） | Mystery Writers of America | Won |
| 2001 | Ellis Island Medal of Honor | — | — | Ellis Island | Won |
| 1997 | Horatio Alger Award | — | — | Horatio Alger Association | Won |
| 1993 | AIHS Gold Medal (American Irish Historical Society) | — | — | American Irish Historical Society | Won |
| 2000 | Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier) | — | — | French Ministry of Culture | Won |
| 2013 | Christopher Life Achievement Award | — | 生涯功労 | Christopher Awards | Won |
| 2002 | Agatha Award (nomination) | Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir | ノンフィクション | Malice Domestic / Agatha Awards | Nominated |
| 2014 | New York State Writers Hall of Fame | — | — | New York State Writers Hall of Fame | Inducted |
Grand Prix de Littérature Policière
1980
Work:
A Stranger Is Watching
Category:
国際賞
Organization:
Grand Prix de Littérature Policière (France)
Result:
Won
Colorado Blue Spruce Award
1990
Work:
The Cradle Will Fall
Organization:
Partners in Literacy (Colorado)
Result:
Won
Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award
2000
Category:
功労賞（生涯業績）
Organization:
Mystery Writers of America
Result:
Won
Ellis Island Medal of Honor
2001
Organization:
Ellis Island
Result:
Won
Horatio Alger Award
1997
Organization:
Horatio Alger Association
Result:
Won
AIHS Gold Medal (American Irish Historical Society)
1993
Organization:
American Irish Historical Society
Result:
Won
Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier)
2000
Organization:
French Ministry of Culture
Result:
Won
Christopher Life Achievement Award
2013
Category:
生涯功労
Organization:
Christopher Awards
Result:
Won
Agatha Award (nomination)
2002
Work:
Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir
Category:
ノンフィクション
Organization:
Malice Domestic / Agatha Awards
Result:
Nominated
New York State Writers Hall of Fame
2014
Organization:
New York State Writers Hall of Fame
Result:
Inducted
Awards & Nominations
Edgar Allan Poe Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 0 (2000) Winner
Works
Major Works
Where Are the Children?
1975 Suspense / MysteryA suspense novel about missing children in which past events resurface to threaten the protagonist's present life.
family secretspast traumacrimes involving children
Adaptations
- [Theatrical film] Where Are the Children? (1986)
A Stranger Is Watching
1977 Suspense / MysteryA tense story about crime and revenge, notable for psychological detail and a tight plot.
revengejustice and guiltpsychological tension
Adaptations
- [Theatrical film] A Stranger Is Watching (1982)
The Cradle Will Fall
1980 Suspense / MysterySet in a wealthy family, this novel depicts a grim incident and its tense aftermath, exploring complex relationships.
family secretspower and controlsuspicion
Adaptations
- [Television film] The Cradle Will Fall (1983)
Bibliography
- Aspire to the Heavens (reissued as Mount Vernon Love Story)
- Where Are the Children? (1975)
- A Stranger Is Watching (1977)
- The Cradle Will Fall (1980)
- Remember Me (1994)
- I'll Be Seeing You (1993)
- Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir (2002)
- I've Got My Eyes on You (2018)
Adaptations
- Many television film adaptations (produced in France, Canada, and the U.S.)
- Theatrical film adaptations (A Stranger Is Watching, Where Are the Children?, etc.)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- concise, tension-driven proseplot-driven structureaccessible, readable narrative voice
- Recurring Motifs
- crimes involving childrenfamily secrets and past traumaisolated female protagonists and recoveryoccasional elements of ESP/psychic phenomena
Legacy
Mary Higgins Clark, often called the 'Queen of Suspense', published over 50 bestselling novels and maintained broad popular appeal throughout her life. She received numerous honors (including MWA Grand Master and French cultural honors), and her name is memorialized in the Mary Higgins Clark Award for suspense fiction.
Academic Societies
- Mystery Writers of America (associated)
- American Irish Historical Society (honoree)
In Popular Culture
- Widely known for numerous television film adaptations and French productions
- Works translated into many languages and became international bestsellers
Quotes
-
In my first journal entry as a child I wrote, 'Nothing much happened today.'
Source: Kitchen Privileges (memoir) (2002) -
I get many of my plot ideas by reading newspapers and asking myself 'Suppose...?' or 'What if...?'
Source: Interview
Trivia
- All 51 of her books were reportedly bestsellers in the United States.
- Graduated summa cum laude with a BA in philosophy from Fordham University in 1979.
- Her daughter Carol Higgins Clark is also an author and they co-wrote works together.
- The Mary Higgins Clark Award, established by the Mystery Writers of America, is named in her honor.