World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Walter Mosley

ウォルター・モズリー

Worutā Mozurī

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1952-01-12 （Los Angeles, California, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism (family background / self-identified)
Residence History
Los Angeles, California (born/raised) → New York City (long-term residence)

Career

Occupations
novelist, screenwriter, playwright, producer
Active Years
1986-
Affiliations
Board of Directors, National Book Awards (former), TransAfrica Forum (board member)
Influenced By
Dashiell Hammett, Graham Greene, Raymond Chandler, Langston Hughes, Gabriel García Márquez, Alice Walker

Education

Goddard College
Period: 在学中に中途退学
Country: United States
Dropped out
Johnson State College
Political Science
Degree: BA
Country: United States
Earned a B.A. in political science
City College of New York
Writing course (non-degree)
Country: United States
Took a writing course while working

Awards

Black Caucus of the American Library Association's Literary Award
1996
Work: RL's Dream
Organization: Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Result: 受賞
O. Henry Award
1996
Work: A Socrates Fortlow story
Organization: O. Henry Award
Result: 受賞
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1998
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
Result: 受賞
Grammy Award for Best Album Notes
2001
Work: Richard Pryor — …And It's Deep Too! (album notes)
Organization: The Recording Academy (Grammy)
Result: 受賞
Honorary doctorate (City College of New York)
2004
Organization: City College of New York
Result: 授与
Risktaker Award (Sundance Institute)
2005
Organization: Sundance Institute
Result: 受賞
Carl Brandon Society Parallax Award
2006
Work: 47 (young adult novel)
Category: ヤングアダルト
Organization: Carl Brandon Society
Result: 受賞
NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction
2007
Work: Blonde Faith
Organization: NAACP
Result: 受賞
NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction
2009
Work: The Long Fall
Organization: NAACP
Result: 受賞
Inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame
2013
Organization: New York State Writers Hall of Fame
Result: 殿堂入り
Langston Hughes Medal
2014
Organization: City College of New York
Result: 受賞
Grand Master (Mystery Writers of America)
2016
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Edgar Award for Best Novel
2019
Work: Down the River Unto the Sea
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
2020
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction
2021
Work: The Awkward Black Man
Organization: NAACP
Result: 受賞
Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger
2023
Organization: Crime Writers' Association
Result: 受賞（生涯功労）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Devil in a Blue Dress

1990 Crime / Hardboiled

A hardboiled novel set in postwar Los Angeles featuring private investigator Easy Rawlins; explores race, justice, and urban life.

race and social inequalityurban violencejustice and morality
Adaptations
  • [Film] Devil in a Blue Dress (film) / Carl Franklin (1995)

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

2010 Literary fiction

A story about Ptolemy Grey, an elderly man with dementia, exploring memory, aging, family, and society.

memory and forgettingaginghuman dignity
Adaptations
  • [Television] The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (TV) (2022)

Down the River Unto the Sea

2018 Historical mystery / Fiction

Set in the early 20th-century American South, it addresses racial violence and social injustice through historical fiction.

history and memoryracial violencepursuit of justice

Bibliography

  • Devil in a Blue Dress
  • A Red Death
  • White Butterfly
  • Black Betty
  • A Little Yellow Dog
  • Gone Fishin'
  • Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned
  • The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
  • Down the River Unto the Sea
  • The Awkward Black Man

Adaptations

  • Devil in a Blue Dress (1995 film, starring Denzel Washington)
  • The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (2022 television series)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
hardboiled narrationsocially conscious realismconcise, powerful dialogue
Recurring Motifs
race and identitycity and communityconflict between justice and violence

Legacy

Walter Mosley is a leading contemporary American crime novelist, acclaimed for the Easy Rawlins series and his portrayals of race and urban life. He has received numerous awards, seen many adaptations, and is recognized for his lasting contributions to American letters.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of America (named Grand Master)
  • New York State Writers Hall of Fame

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) and TV adaptation of The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (2022) among others; his works have been adapted for screen multiple times.

Quotes

  • "You're Black, Jewish, with a poor upbringing; there are riches therein."
    Source: Edna O'Brien (as mentor), Moment magazine (2010)

Trivia

  • Began writing seriously at age 34.
  • Devil in a Blue Dress was adapted into a film starring Denzel Washington (1995).
  • In 2019 he left the writers' room of Star Trek: Discovery after controversy over his use of a racial slur in a story.
  • In 2020 he received the National Book Foundation Medal, becoming the first Black man to receive the honor.