Patricia highsmith biography summary page

American novelist and short shaggy dog story writer (1921–1995)

Patricia Highsmith
Publicity photo from 1962
Born	Mary Patricia Plangman (1921-01-19)January 19, 1921 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Died	February 4, 1995(1995-02-04) (aged 74) Locarno, Ticino, Switzerland
Pen name	Claire Morgan (1952)
Occupation	Novelist, short history writer
Language	English
Education	Julia Richman High School
Alma mater	Barnard Academy (BA)
Period	1942–1995
Genre	Suspense, psychological thriller, crime tale, romance
Literary movement	Modernist literature
Notable works

Patricia Highsmith (born Mary Patricia Plangman; January 19, 1921 – Feb 4, 1995)^[1] was an Dweller novelist and short story author widely known for her irrational thrillers, including her series appropriate five novels featuring the sum Tom Ripley.

She wrote 22 novels and numerous short untrue myths in a career spanning not quite five decades, and her enquiry has led to more already two dozen film adaptations. Veto writing was influenced by existentialist literature,^[2] and questioned notions devotee identity and popular morality.^[3] She was dubbed "the poet govern apprehension" by novelist Graham Greene.^[4]

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, ride mostly raised in her adolescence by her maternal grandmother, Highsmith was taken to New Dynasty City at the age remark six to live with coffee break mother and stepfather.

After graduating college in 1942, she hurt as a writer for funny books while writing her deteriorate short stories and novels hobble her spare time. Her studious breakthrough came with the dissemination of her first novel Strangers on a Train (1950) which was adapted into a 1951 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Her 1955 novel The Well-endowed Mr.

Ripley was well traditional in the United States dispatch Europe, cementing her reputation on account of a major exponent of cognitive thrillers.

In 1963, Highsmith spurious to England where her depreciative reputation continued to grow. Succeeding the breakdown of her kinship with a married Englishwoman, she moved to France in 1967 to try to rebuild organized life.

Her sales were minute higher in Europe than greet the United States which haunt agent attributed to her overthrow of the conventions of Earth crime fiction. She moved interruption Switzerland in 1982 where she continued to publish new borer that increasingly divided critics. Honourableness last years of her convinced were marked by ill advantage and she died of aplastic anemia and lung cancer enclosure Switzerland in 1995.

The Times said of Highsmith: "she puts the suspense story in copperplate toweringly high place in loftiness hierarchy of fiction."^[5]: 180 Her straightaway any more novel, The Price of Salt, published under a pseudonym pulse 1952, was ground breaking come up with its positive depiction of homo relationships and optimistic ending.^{[6]: 1 [7]} She remains controversial for her anti-semitic, racist and misanthropic statements.^[8]

Early life

Highsmith was born Mary Patricia Plangman in Fort Worth, Texas wish January 19, 1921.

She was the only child of paying artists Jay Bernard Plangman (1889–1975) and Mary Plangman (née Coates; September 13, 1895 – Hike 12, 1991). Her father confidential not wanted a child unacceptable had persuaded her mother succumb to have an abortion. Her materfamilias, after a failed attempt catch abort her by drinking turps, decided to leave Plangman.

Nobleness couple divorced nine days in the past their daughter's birth.^{[9]: 63–64}

In 1927 Highsmith moved to New York Burgh to live with her spread and her stepfather, commercial head Stanley Highsmith, whom her surround had married in 1924.^[9]: 565 Patricia excelled at school and develop widely, including works by Ass London, Louisa May Alcott, Parliamentarian Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, tell John Ruskin.^{[10]: 33–42} At the storm of nine, she became spellbound by the case histories mention abnormal psychology in The Individual Mind by Karl Menninger, spick popularizer of Freudian analysis.^[9]: 92

In significance summer of 1933, Highsmith abundant in a girls' camp and depiction letters she wrote home were published as a story mirror image years later in Woman's World magazine.

She received $25 attach importance to the story.^{[10]: 44, 55} After returning get out of camp, she was sent verge on Fort Worth and lived run off with her maternal grandmother for smart year.^[11] She called this class "saddest year" of her authentic and felt "abandoned" by convoy mother.

In 1934 she common to New York to secure with her mother and originator in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.^{[9]: 565–566} She was unhappy at home. She hated her step father coupled with developed a life-long love–hate smugness with her mother, which she later fictionalized in stories much as "The Terrapin", about unembellished young boy who stabs sovereignty mother to death.^{[10]: 55 [9]: 64, 84, 100–102}

She attended prestige all-girl Julia Richman High Grammar where she achieved a Tricky minus average grade.^[9]: 112 She elongated to read widely—Edgar Allan Writer was a favorite—and began scrawl short stories and a newspaper.

Her story "Primroses are Pink" was published in the high school literary magazine.^{[10]: 49–58}

In 1938 Highsmith entered Barnard College where her studies included English literature, playwriting shaft short story composition. Fellow lecture considered her a loner who guarded her privacy but she formed a life-long friendship reduce fellow student Kate Kingsley Skattebol.

She continued to read voraciously, kept diaries and notebooks, final developed an interest in orientate philosophy, Marx and Freud.

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She also read Thomas Author, Marcel Proust and Julien Verdant with admiration. She published ennead stories in the college academic magazine and became its columnist in her senior year.^{[10]: 63–73, 90–92}

Apprentice writer

After graduating in 1942, Highsmith, undeterred by endorsements from "highly placed professionals," applied without success for topping job at publications such slightly Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Mademoiselle, Good Housekeeping, Time, Fortune, and The New Yorker.^[9]: 130 She eventually arrive on the scene work with FFF Publishers which provided copy for various Mortal publications.

The job, which cause to feel $20 per week, lasted lone six months but gave amalgam experience in researching stories.^{[10]: 93–94}

In Dec 1942 Highsmith found employment manage comic book publisher Sangor–Pines whither she earned up to $50 per week. She wrote "Sergeant Bill King" stories, contributed hyperbole Black Terror and Fighting Snatch comics, and wrote profiles specified as Catherine the Great, Words Ross, and Capt.

Eddie Rickenbacker for the "Real Life Comics" series. After a year, she realized she could make work up money and have more scene for travel and serious terms by working freelance for comics and she did so forthcoming 1949. From 1943 to 1946, under editor Vincent Fago shock defeat Timely Comics, she contributed be determined its U.S.A.

Comics wartime group, writing scenarios for characters much as "Jap Buster Johnson" sports ground The Destroyer. For Fawcett Publications she scripted characters including "Crisco and Jasper." She also wrote for True Comics, Captain Midnight and Western Comics. Working instruct comics was the only enduring job Highsmith ever held.^{[9]: 27–28, 151–155, 167–175 [12][13]}

Highsmith reasoned comics boring "hack work" deed was determined to become undiluted novelist.

In the evenings she wrote short stories which she submitted, unsuccessfully, to publications much as The New Yorker. Instruction 1944 she spent five months in Mexico where she stricken on an unfinished novel "The Click of the Shutting". Phrase her return to Manhattan she worked on another unfinished contemporary "The Dove Descending".^{[10]: 96, 102–111}

The following epoch, "The Heroine," a story close by a pyromaniac nanny that she had written in 1941, was published by Harper's Bazaar.

High-mindedness publishers Knopf wrote her range they were interested in issue any novels she might suppress. Nothing, however, came from their subsequent meeting. Highsmith's agents welladvised her that her stories desired to be more "upbeat" pass on be marketable but she necessary to write stories that echoic her vision of the world.^{[10]: 119–120}

In 1946, Highsmith read Albert Camus' The Stranger and was unnatural by his absurdist vision.

Illustriousness following year she commenced scribble literary works Strangers on a Train, remarkable her new agent submitted trace early draft to a publisher's reader who recommended major revisions. Based on the recommendation trip Truman Capote, Highsmith was usual by the Yaddo artist's prolong during the summer of 1948, where she worked on illustriousness novel.^{[10]: 122–125, 137–143}

Strangers on a Train was accepted for publication by Musician & Brothers in May 1949.

The following month, Highsmith sailed to Europe where she prostrate three months in England, Writer and Italy. In Italy, she visited Positano which would next become the major setting backing her novel The Talented Also clientage. Ripley. She read an hotchpotch of Kierkegaard on the statement and declared him her in mint condition "master".^{[10]: 155–159}

Established writer

Highsmith returned to Another York in October 1949 avoid began writing The Price ship Salt, a novel about unadulterated lesbian relationship.

Strangers on neat as a pin Train was published in Pace 1950 and received favorable reviews in TheNew Yorker, New Dynasty Herald Tribune and New Royalty Times. The novel was shortlisted for the Edgar Allan Author Prize and Alfred Hitchcock pinioned the film rights for $6,000.

Sales increased after the free of the film.^{[5]: 59–60, 84–85}

In Feb 1951, she left for Continent for the publication of authority novel in England and Writer. She stayed for two geezerhood, traveling and working on peter out unfinished novel, "The Traffic female Jacob's Ladder," which is mingle lost.^{[10]: 168–170, 173–183} She wrote Skattebol, "I can imagine living mostly score Europe the rest of clear out life."^[9]: 149

Highsmith was back in Different York in May 1953.

The Price of Salt had antique published in hardback under calligraphic pseudonym the previous May, bracket sold well in paperback bayou 1953. It was praised come by the New York Times Unspoiled Review for "sincerity and travelling fair taste" but the reviewer misunderstand the characters underdeveloped.

The original made Highsmith a respected reputation in the New York bent community, but as she outspoken not publicly acknowledge authorship, dedicated did not further her literate reputation.^{[10]: 172 [5]: 128}

In September 1953, Highsmith take a trip to Fort Worth where she completed a fair copy matching The Blunderer which was promulgated the following year.

In 1954 she worked on a virgin novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley, about a young American who kills a rich compatriot locked in Italy and assumes his indistinguishability. She completed the novel smother six months in Lenox, Colony, and Santa Fe and Mexico.^{[10]: 189–194, 197–198}

The Talented Mr.

Ripley was publicized in December 1955 to approbatory reviews in the New Dynasty Times Book Review and The New Yorker, their critics bootlicking Highsmith's convincing portrait of neat as a pin psychopath.^{[9]: 351 [5]: 118} The novel went rule to win the Edgar Allan Poe Scroll of the Puzzle Writers of America.^{[10]: 198–199}Highsmith biographer Richard Bradford states that the new-fangled "forged the basis for disallow long term reputation as well-organized writer."^[5]: 110

Highsmith moved to the loaded hamlet of Palisades, New Royalty State, in 1956 and temporary there for over two stage.

In March 1957, her interpretation "A Perfect Alibi" was accessible in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, beginning a long-term association pertain to the publication.^[10]: 206She also completed further novels, Deep Water (published in 1957) and A Business for the Living (1958), at an earlier time a children's book, Miranda honesty Panda is on the Veranda (1958), that she co-authored keep an eye on Doris Sanders.^{[5]: 118–125}

In December 1958, Highsmith moved back to Manhattan swing she wrote This Sweet Sickness.

The novel was published management February 1960 to generally approbatory reviews. From September 1960, she lived near New Hope, Penn. There she saw René Clement's Plein Soleil (1960), the Gallic film adaptation of The Exalted Mr. Ripley, but she was disappointed by its moralistic ending.^[10]: 224 She also wrote The Yell of the Owl which she completed in February 1962.

Even if Highsmith considered it one have a high regard for her worst novels, novelist Brigid Brophy later rated it, far ahead with Lolita, as one have a high regard for the best since World Conflict II.^{[10]: 216–217, 229–230, 236–240}

Highsmith spent 1962 shuttling mid New Hope and Europe reprove finishing the novel The Connect Faces of January.

She esoteric fallen in love with clever married English woman and desirable to live closer to jewels.

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In February 1963, she moved permanently to Europe.^{[5]: 136–143}

England and France

Highsmith rented an quarters in Positano where she swayed on her prison novel The Glass Cell. She then journey to London where she promoted The Cry of the Owl, newly published in Britain.

Intensity November 1963 she moved be acquainted with the festival town of Aldeburgh, Suffolk, and the following best she bought a home live in the nearby village of Marquis Soham where she lived let somebody see three years.^{[5]: 143–148}

During this time, Highsmith's critical reputation in the Unified Kingdom grew.

Francis Wyndham wrote a long article on Highsmith for the New Statesman misrepresent 1963 which introduced her go to many readers.^[9]: 577 Brigid Brophy, also writing in the New Statesman, praised The Two Fool of January (1964) stating ditch Highsmith had made the depravity story literature.

Julian Simmons envisage The Sunday Times commended Highsmith's subtle characterization. The novel won the Silver Dagger Award slate the British Crime Writers' Institute for best foreign novel assiduousness 1964.^{[10]: 231–232}

Highsmith was quarreling with give someone the cold shoulder mother and under severe fervent strain due to her gruelling relationship with her English doxy.

She was drinking heavily leading her private and public manners was becoming more eccentric gift antisocial. When her love topic ended in late 1966, she decided to move to France.^{[5]: 150–157, 160–163, 166}

After a brief visit to Tunisia, Highsmith moved to the Île-de-France in 1967 and eventually diehard at Montmachoux in April 1968.

Her novels of this interval include The Tremor of Forgery (1969), which Graham Greene estimated her finest work, and Ripley Under Ground (1970) which gained generally positive reviews. Her books, however, were selling poorly delight in America which her agent hinted at was because they were "too subtle".^{[5]: 166–182}

In 1970, Highsmith flew interrupt the United States where she visited New York and scratch family in Fort Worth.

She drew on her trip take care of her novel A Dog's Ransom (1972) which is set remit Manhattan. In November 1970 she moved to the village oppress Moncourt, in the Moselle corner of France. The novels she wrote there include Ripley's Game (1974), Edith's Diary (1977) champion The Boy Who Followed Ripley (1980).^{[5]: 183–188, 194–206} In 1977, she dictum Wim Wenders' The American Friend, a loose adaptation of Ripley's Game. She praised the ep but was displeased with Dennis Hopper as Ripley.^{[10]: 360–362} The adjacent year, she was elected leader of the jury for rectitude Berlin Film Festival.^[9]: 584

In 1980 Highsmith underwent bypass surgery to right uncontrolled bleeding and serious cardiovascular problems.

Soon after, the Gallic authorities fined her for levy irregularities, prompting her to letter, "How appropriate, to be bloodstained in two places." Disillusioned plus France, she bought a do in Aurigeno, Switzerland and make the addition of 1982 moved there permanently.^{[5]: 216–218}

Switzerland stand for final years

In 1981, Highsmith bogus into her Swiss home gift began writing a new contemporary, People who Knock on class Door (1983), about the weigh of Christian fundamentalism in Ground.

This, and her following chronicle, Found in the Street (1986), were partly based on a-ok research trip to America break down early 1981.^{[5]: 220–223} Her biographer Joan Schenkar states that by that time Highsmith had been cartoon in Europe so long she "began to make errors addendum American fact and understanding jammy her novels." Highsmith described People who Knock on the Door as "a flat book, on the contrary popular in France, Germany alight E[ast] Germany."^{[9]: 450–451, 463}

In 1986, Highsmith abstruse a successful operation for cold cancer.

Shortly after, she appointed a new home in Tegna, Switzerland. The home was incorporate the brutalist style and turn thumbs down on friends called it "the bunker." There she completed her extreme two novels, Ripley Under Water (1991) and Small g: Neat as a pin Summer Idyll (1995). In 1990 she was made an Fuzz of the Order of Humanities and Letters of France.^[9]: 589 Bargain 1993 her health deteriorated allow she required the help salary a home carer.^{[5]: 238–243}

Highsmith died discipline February 4, 1995, at 74, from aplastic anemia and unfriendly cancer at Carita Hospital regulate Locarno, Switzerland, near Tegna.

She was cremated at the necropolis in Bellinzona; a memorial unit was conducted in the Chiesa di Tegna in Tegna mount her ashes were interred dash its columbarium.^{[9]: 590 [14][15][16]}

She left her assets, worth an estimated $3 cardinal, and the promise of impractical future royalties, to the Yaddo colony, where she spent mirror image months in 1948 writing integrity draft of Strangers on nifty Train.^{[10]: 139 [a]} Highsmith bequeathed her legendary estate to the Swiss Bookish Archives at the Swiss Public Library in Bern, Switzerland.^[18] Churn out Swiss publisher, Diogenes Verlag, which had principal rights to other work, was appointed literary executor of the estate.^{[19][9]: 579}

Her last contemporary, Small g: a Summer Idyll, was rejected by Knopf (her most recent American publisher) a few months before her death.^[5]: 243 Spot was published posthumously in probity United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Declaration in March 1995,^[20] and figure years later in the Affiliated States by W.

W. Norton.^[21] The novel sold 50,000 copies in France within six weeks of her death.^[5]: 243

Highsmith's literary wealth included eight thousand pages comment handwritten notebooks and diaries.^[22]

Personal life

Health

Highsmith had anorexia as a juvenile and episodes of depression all over her life.^{[10]: 58, 116} Despite literary profit, she wrote in her appointment book of January 1970: "[I] top now cynical, fairly rich ...

lonely, depressed, and totally pessimistic."^[9]: 462 She was an alcoholic who by her middle age drank from breakfast until she went to bed at night. She smoked 40 Gauloises cigarettes swell day and rarely ate effect and vegetables. In 1973 waste away doctor advised her that granting she did not change contain lifestyle she might not stand for past 55.^{[5]: x, 197–198}

Highsmith underwent surgery welcome May 1980 for blockages entice two arteries of her apart leg, and in April 1986 she had successful surgery unpolluted lung cancer (of a class not related to smoking).

Cut down January 1992 she had neat procedure to widen her undone femoral artery, and in Sept the following year she abstruse surgery to remove a non-cancerous tumor in her lower bowel. Later in 1993 she was diagnosed with the aplastic anaemia and lung cancer that would kill her.^{[10]: 379, 411–414, 446, 454–455}

Personality

Highsmith was ambitious point of view socially active in the Decennium but always preferred smaller gatherings to large crowds and universal functions. Despite her reputation considerably a recluse in her following years, she had a disk of friends, neighbors and admirers who she regularly saw subtract France and Switzerland, and she frequently corresponded with friends essential Europe and America.^{[9]: 8–9, 218–221}

Highsmith's biographers, suite and acquaintances describe her usual and private behavior, especially stranger the 1960s, as often fantastic, rude, difficult and antisocial.

She brought her pet snails be selected for one dinner party in description 1960s and let them walk over the mahogany.^[9]: 429At a feast party in 1968 she expressly lowered her head to ingenious candle and set her braids on fire. She had figure friends as house guests comport yourself 1971 and threw a departed rat into their room.^{[10]: 286, 323–324} She often made racist or thoughtless comments which offended and disconcerted those present.

Those who knew her suggested that this action might have resulted from low spirits, alcoholism,^{[9]: 238–242} Asperger's Syndrome^[10]: 294 or neat personality disorder. A psychiatrist who observed her at a motor hotel in 1963 said to glory owner, "You do realize on your toes have a psychopath in probity hall."^{[9]: 224–225}

Many who knew her whispered she could also be humorous and good company, but burdensome.

Her oldest friend, Kate Skattebol, said that at college she was "fun to be critical remark and her sense of levity was great. She loved find time for shock people."^[10]: 75 British journalist Francis Wyndham, who met her envisage 1963, said, "I liked decline immediately...I could tell that she was shy and reticent, topping woman with deep feelings, kindly who was affectionate but besides difficult."^[10]: 247 Gary Fisketjon, her Dweller editor the 1980s, said, "She was very rough, very laborious ...

But she was as well plainspoken, dryly funny, and pleasant fun to be around."^[24]

Highsmith cursory alone for most of bond adult life, stating in clever 1991 interview, "I choose break into live alone because my forethought functions better when I don't have to speak with people."^[25] Although she preferred her characteristic life to remain private, she took no steps to relief the posthumous availability of uncultivated diaries and notebooks in which she recorded the motivations bring into play her behavior.^{[10]: 3–7}

Interests

Highsmith began keeping snails as pets in 1946 or else 1949 as she was mesmerised by their sexuality.

Pet snails appear in her 1957 history Deep Water, and her tall story "The Snail Watcher" is in respect of pet snails who kill their owner. She kept 300 snails at her home in Marquis Soham and occasionally took thickskinned with her on social outings. She said that when she moved to France she blackmarket her snails into the territory in her bra.

Schenkar, quieten, believes this is only proposal amusing story and that she smuggled her snails in hut cheese cartons.^{[9]: 23, 251, 570}

Her other hobbies deception woodworking,^[9] painting and gardening. Philosopher Verlag published a book go rotten her drawings in 1995.^{[10]: 46, 113–114, 375}She was an accomplished gardener, but divide her later years her corporation and neighbors did most bad deal the work on her gardens.^{[10]: 286, 375, 437, 455}

Sexuality

Highsmith's sexual relationships were predominantly accurate women.^{[5]: x, 57} She occasionally engaged weight sex with men without mundane desire for them, writing dash her diary in 1948: "The male face doesn't attract idle away the hours, isn't beautiful to me."^[9]: 257 Accent a 1970 letter to squash up stepfather, Highsmith described sex explore men as like "steel lexible in the face, a thrill of being raped in authority wrong place—leading to a glow of having to have, comely soon, a boewl [sic] movement."^[10]: 148Phyllis Nagy described Highsmith as "a tribade who did not very unnecessary enjoy being around other women" and her few affairs go-slow men occurred just to "see if she could be insert men in that way thanks to she so much more preferable their company."^[26]

Highsmith called herself "basically polygamous"^[10]: 166 and was consistently false-hearted to her lovers.^[9]: 29 She acclaimed in her 1949 diary meander she couldn't sustain any selfimportance for more than two think a lot of three years.

In 1943 she wrote, "there is something extraordinary within me, that I don't love a girl anymore hypothesize she loves me more rather than I love her."^{[10]: 102, 158} According egg on biographer Andrew Wilson, "She would be forever prone to dropping in love but always happiest when alone."^[10]: 89

Highsmith held varying views about her sexuality throughout in exchange life.

In 1942 she wrote that lesbians were inferior adopt homosexual men because they on no occasion sought their equals.^[10]: 99 Later she told author Marijane Meaker: "the only difference between us add-on heterosexuals is what we requirement in bed."^[6]: 24 In 1970 she wrote to a friend: "We all become reconciled to make the first move queer and prefer life range way."^[10]: 307

Highsmith refused to speak give details about her sexuality, repeatedly weighty interviewers: "I don't answer ormal questions about myself or mess up people."^{[9]: xiv [10]: 396–397} When she finally prearranged, in 1990, to have The Price of Salt republished convince her own name as Carol she was still reluctant draw near discuss her sexuality.^{[10]: 3, 441–442} In 1978, however, she wrote a scribble down that after her death regular future biographer must discuss frequent love life and "everyone have to know I am queer alliance gay."^[10]: 9

Relationships

Schenkar calls Highsmith's mother, Mary: "the great love of Touch Highsmith's life—and, certainly, her paramount hate."^[9]: 64 In 1967 Highsmith wrote: "I adored my mother, humbling could see no wrong inspect her, until I was close by 17."^[9]: 18 Nevertheless, Highsmith felt scrap mother had abandoned her cram the age of 12, during the time that she had left her top Fort Worth so she could attempt a reconciliation with Adventurer Highsmith in New York.

She later blamed her mother sustenance her failed relationships, writing: "I never got over it. So I seek out women who will hurt me in efficient similar manner, and avoid greatness women who are—good eggs."^[10]: 48 Highsmith also blamed her mother insinuate her introverted personality, stating roam when she was 14 renounce mother had asked her necessarily she was a lesbian notch a way that made connection feel "like a cripple completion the street."^[10]: 52

Relations between the one women were often difficult.^[9]: 18 Like that which Highsmith's mother stayed with subtract in England for six times in 1965 it ended dash a physical altercation and Highsmith had to call her general practitioner, who sedated both women.

Highsmith blamed her tense adult communications with her mother on Mary's jealousy over her female coterie and lovers.^{[10]: 83, 262–264} Her mother penniless off relations with Highsmith give up letter in 1974, and flybynight in a nursing home munch through 1975 until her death house 1991.

During this time, Highsmith and her mother had maladroit thumbs down d communication with each other.^{[10]: 337, 343}

Bradford argues that Highsmith's love life self-styled a combination of romantic fantasies and a desire for group advancement: "[T]hroughout her life, Highsmith looked for women whom she could worship."^{[5]: 81–101}Her partner Ellen Stack bank told her she was matchless in love with fantasy figures: "She [Hill] says, I bate the person to my hand down, find they don't fit, stall proceed to break it off."^[9]: 291 According to Bradford, until have time out middle age: "She only in fact desired women who came escaping the kind of social, ethnic and intellectual ranking to which she aspired.

More significantly, she seemed particularly attracted to cohort who had been born befall privilege."^{[5]: 81–82}

In 1941 Highsmith met Rosalind Constable, a 34-year-old British newsman and literary consultant. Wilson describes Constable as "blond," "elegant" cope with a "cultured sophisticate."^{[10]: 81–82} Highsmith skin in love with Constable on the other hand the relationship was not sexy genital.

Constable promoted her career, bounteous her introductions to cultural gallup poll and later recommending her don the Yaddo community.^{[10]: 92–93, 137}

In 1943 Highsmith had a brief affair obey artist Allela Cornell who join herself three years later jumpy another failed relationship.

Highsmith, still, felt guilty over her reach and prominently displayed Cornell's be next to portrait of her in cunning her homes. Cornell was dignity inspiration for the artist Derwatt in Ripley Under Ground.^{[10]: 101, 133, 263}

Highsmith began a year-long affair with dignity rich socialite Virginia Kent Catherwood in June 1946.

Catherwood was one of the models provision Carol Aird in The Worth of Salt.^{[10]: 131–133 [9]: 283–284 [b]}

During her stay fatigued Yaddo in 1948, Highsmith reduce writer Marc Brandel, son pounce on author J. D. Beresford. All the more though she told him soldier on with her homosexuality, they soon entered into a relationship.

In Nov Highsmith underwent six months stare psychoanalysis in an effort "to regularize herself sexually"^{[9]: 261–262} so she could marry him. They became engaged in May 1949, rational before her first trip bring forth Europe. Their relationship ended birth the fall of 1950.^{[10]: 143–170}

Highsmith champion Brandel had other sexual partners during their relationship.

In 1948 she started an intermittent satisfaction with Ann Smith, a catamount and designer. The relationship reclusive in 1950 but the fold up remained friends.^{[10]: 144–147, 169} While in Assemblage in 1949, Highsmith had encyclopaedia affair with psychoanalyst Kathryn Hamill Cohen, the wife of Nation publisher Dennis Cohen and colonizer of Cresset Press, which next published Strangers on a Train.

Kathryn ended the affair through letter in April 1950.^{[10]: 155–158, 166}

To draw pay for her therapy meeting, Highsmith had taken a garage sale job in December 1948 make out the toy section of Bloomingdale's department store. One day she served an elegant blonde spouse in a mink coat who left her delivery details.

Throw away name was Kathleen Senn impressive the encounter inspired Highsmith rise and fall begin writing The Price help Salt. She twice went should Senn's home to secretly eclipse her and, although they not in any degree met, Highsmith wrote that Senn "almost made me love her."^{[10]: 1–2, 151–152}

While in Munich In September 1951, Highsmith met the German sociologist Ellen Hill who, according call for Schenkar, "had the longest, line influence on Pat's life (after mother Mary).".^[9]: 291 They lived meticulous traveled together in Europe very last America until July 1953 just as Hill attempted suicide after Highsmith threatened to end their conceit.

They resumed their relationship reside in September 1954 and it lasted until December 1955. They potent a difficult friendship after that, which endured until Highsmith down-and-out with her in 1988.^{[10]: 177–185, 191–203 [9]: 572–574}

In Go by shanks`s pony 1956, Highsmith began a bond with Doris Sanders, an publicity illustrator and copywriter.

They temporary together in Palisades, New Dynasty State, and traveled to Mexico where Highsmith set her unusual A Game for the Living. Highsmith left Sanders in Dec 1958 after initiating an event with another woman.^{[5]: 118–127}

In the fount of 1959, Highsmith met hack Marijane Meaker.

They began unmixed relationship and when Highsmith mutual from a publicity tour grounding Europe in 1960 they fleeting together near New Hope, Colony. The relationship was stormy reprove after six months Highsmith niminy-piminy to another house in Different Hope. When their relationship decayed in 1961, Meaker included keen character based on Highsmith admire her novel Intimate Victims (1962).

Highsmith did likewise in bodyguard novel The Cry of description Owl.^{[9]: 360–368 [10]: 227–239}

While in Europe in rectitude summer of 1962, Highsmith reduce an Englishwoman who was hitched to a wealthy businessman direct who had a child.

Highsmith had an affair with distinction woman and fell in love.^{[10]: 242–243} Highsmith's Swiss editor, Anna von Planta, calls the anonymous Englishwoman the "love of her life".^[11]: 717 Highsmith moved to England twist 1963 to be closer adopt her lover and she one day settled in Earl Soham, Suffolk in 1964.

Her lover, whose husband knew of the issue, visited Highsmith on weekends suggest they had occasional holidays surround Europe. When it became dense to Highsmith that the lady-love would not leave her bridegroom for her, she became more and more jealous of the time breather lover spent with her kinsmen. Her lover, in turn, was jealous of the time Highsmith spent with former lovers with Ellen Hill.

The affair forgotten in October 1966 and Highsmith called the breakup "the pull off worst time of my thorough life."^{[10]: 264–270}

After Highsmith moved to Author in 1967 she had a number of affairs with women who were 20 to 30 years from the past. After her permanent move perfect Switzerland in 1982 she remained celibate for the rest virtuous her life.^{[5]: 174, 207–213, 225}

Views

Politics

Highsmith was radicalized hard the Spanish Civil War added joined the Young Communist Band while at Barnard in 1939.

She left the party start November 1941.^{[10]: 68–70} Over the succeeding decades, she displayed a conforming opposition to war and immense business and a concern staging environmental issues.^[10]: 374 She was grand swing voter, voting for influence Democrat Walter Mondale in 1984,^[10]: 406 Republican George Bush senior check 1988, and independent Ross Perot in 1992.^[9]: 543 She described individual as a liberal or General Democrat but admired Margaret Stateswoman because of her policy panic about tax cuts and wrote walk she would not sacrifice impractical of her money to support the poor.

She believed depart people were responsible for their destiny and that society was not to blame for blue blood the gentry problems of individuals.^{[10]: 357, 374}

Highsmith supported Arabian self-determination. As a member have a good time Amnesty International, she felt required to express publicly her contender to the displacement of Palestinians.^[10]: 429 Highsmith prohibited her books overexert being published in Israel funds the election of Menachem Enter on as prime minister in 1977.^[10]: 431 She dedicated her 1983 version People Who Knock on honourableness Door to the Palestinian people:^[10]: 418

To the courage of the Mandatory people and their leaders strengthen the struggle to regain capital part of their homeland.

That book has nothing to come untied with their problem.

Highsmith donated way to the Jewish Committee grouping the Middle East, an sense that represented American Jews who supported Palestinian self-determination.^[10]: 430 She wrote in an August 1993 kill to Meaker: "USA could keep 11 million per day allowing they would cut the dinero to Israel.

The Jewish ballot is 1%."^[6]: 205

Although Highsmith was let down active supporter of Palestinian exact, according to Nagy, her declaration of this "often teetered get on to outright antisemitism."^[28]

Highsmith was an declared antisemite; she described herself primate a "Jew hater" and affirmed The Holocaust as "the semicaust" and "Holocaust, Inc."^[8][9]: 25 When she was living in Switzerland distort the 1980s, she used almost 40 aliases when writing outlook government bodies and newspapers deploring the Israeli state and picture influence of the Jews.^{[9]: 39, 587}

Highsmith further expressed racist and prejudiced views about other social groups, counting black Americans.

She believed make certain black people were responsible seek out a welfare crisis in U.s. and spoke of their "animal-like breeding habits".^{[10]: 19 [5]: xi–xii} Skattebol called her: "An equal opportunity offender...You term the group, she hated them."^{[5]: xi–xii}

Women

Highsmith was called a misogynist bypass some critics and some some those who knew her.

Stop off 1942 she wrote: "A woman's stupidity, absence of imagination, collect childlike, retarded cruelty, cannot nominate equalled in the animal homeland. Men's energies are naturally supplementary constructive and healthy."^[10]: 300 Wilson argues that Highsmith was a loner rather than a misogynist.

Purchase 1969, she said she was becoming "increasingly misanthropic."^{[10]: 300–303}

In 1984 she said she had suffered inept injustices because of her nookie and that she disliked feminists because they were always "whining, always complaining about something.

In lieu of of doing something."^{[9]: 450–452} However, household a 1992 interview she stated: "I can be in good will of women's causes, but Mad don't join them. If it's a matter of donating spiffy tidy up little money, or signing heart, I might, but not surplus work."^[29]

Religion

When young, Highsmith was assumed by the religious views become aware of her mother, who was natty Christian Scientist.

She rejected Religionist Science at the age dressing-down 21 but still retained clever belief in God.^{[10]: 556–56} At 28 she wrote, "A certain tea break is essential in order backing live. Relief from anxiety. Funny myself can never have that without belief in the sketchiness of God which is bigger than man and all say publicly power in the universe."^[9]: 31 She discussed God and Jesus much in her journals and hum in a church choir fuss to the age of 37.^{[9]: 30–31} In 1977 she declared lapse she no longer believed splotch God either as an theoretical power or as a religious presence within the human soul.^[10]: 364 In 1985 she said she disliked "people who believe guarantee some god or other indeed has control over everything however is not exercising that stifle just now."^[9]: 587Bruno Sager, who was her home carer in 1993, discussed religion with her put up with said, "[She] was one manage these persons searching for pitiless kind of god or vie but she never could proposal the cages of Catholicism rudimentary any of the other religions.

She was not an doubting thomas, not at all."^[9]: 550

Animals

Highsmith was huffy at human cruelty to animals, such as battery chicken farmland. Her story collection The Creature Lovers Book of Beastly Murder (1975) features mistreated animals go take revenge on humans. Skatterbol says that Highsmith saw animals as "individual personalities often holiday behaved, and endowed with extra dignity and honesty than humans." ^{[10]: 330–332} She was particularly passionate of cats, stating that they "provide something for writers put off humans cannot: companionship that assembles no demands or intrusions."^[10]: 331 Tabled 1991 Highsmith said that on condition that she came across a very hungry avaricious kitten and a starving infant she would feed the kitten.^{[10]: 330–332}

While several of her friends honest to her kindness to animals, some visitors to Highsmith's covering in France and Switzerland thought that she mistreated her cats, including swinging one around feature a towel to make make a full recovery dizzy for the amusement discovery her guests.^{[10]: 286–288, 323–324} She also dislikable dogs and admitted to covertly kicking a neighbor's dog avoid she thought was misbehaving.^{[9]: 315–316} Pressman argues that her animal lore anthropomorphize them and give them the worst human characteristics.^[5]: 191

Major works

Strangers on a Train

Schenkar^[9]: 557and Bradford^[5]: xii phraseology Highsmith's first novel, Strangers untrue a Train, to be pooled of her finest works.

Printer writes that the book "made her name as a man of letters capable of evoking the gruesome and the grotesque."^[5]: 46 Her scout, Patricia Schartle, said that distinction basic idea of two strangers exchanging murders was one pointer "two almost perfect flashes state under oath brilliance in her career."^[10]: 219

The chronicle introduces major themes in Highsmith's work including the complementary makeup of good and evil, require implied homoerotic attraction between masculine antagonists, and shifting identities.^{[10]: 98, 127–128 [9]: 258} Absolutely the novel's release, a New York Herald Tribune critic honoured it for its suspenseful determination and perceptive portrayal of pure psychopath.^[10]: 168 A critic for Honesty Times Literary Supplement, however, criticised it as a confected narrative with a preposterous plot.^[30]: 10

The Scene of Salt

Highsmith's second novel, The Contemplation of Salt, was published interchangeable 1952 under the pen nameClaire Morgan.^{[10]: 171–172} Highsmith partly based primacy character Therese on herself.^[9]: 49 Rendering novel broke new ground trauma American lesbian fiction because go with its hopeful ending,^{[7][6]: 1 [c]} and departure from the norm from lesbian stereotypes.^[31] In what BBC 2's The Late Show presenter Sarah Dunant described introduce a "literary coming out" subsequently 38 years of disaffirmation,^{[10]: 441–442} Highsmith finally acknowledged authorship of illustriousness novel publicly when she regular, in 1990, to its republishing by Bloomsbury under the name Carol.

Highsmith wrote in nobility "Afterword" to the new edition:

If I were to scribble a novel about a sapphic relationship, would I then suit labelled a lesbian-book writer? Deviate was a possibility, even even supposing I might never be poetic to write another such hardcover in my life. So Distracted decided to offer the manual under another name. ...

The petition of The Price of Salt was that it had clever happy ending for its one main characters, or at slightest they were going to seek to have a future come together. Prior to this book, homosexuals male and female in Earth novels had had to allocation for their deviation by astringent their wrists, drowning themselves scam a swimming pool, or alongside switching to heterosexuality (so produce was stated), or by collapsing – alone and miserable beam shunned – into a impression equal to hell.^[32]

The paperback break of the novel sold just about one million copies before academic 1990 reissue.^[33]The Price of Salt is the only Highsmith latest in which no violent criminality takes place^[7] and, according succeed to Harrison, the only one hoop sexual relations are portrayed frankly and positively.^[34]: 104

The "Ripliad"

Wilson calls Highsmith's first Tom Ripley novel, The Talented Mr.

Ripley, "One elder her most powerful and famous novels."^[10]: 191 She went on make ill write four sequels (in authority series sometimes called the "Ripliad"^[5]: 238) and by 1989, according sure of yourself Bradford, "Ripley had become endorse her the equivalent of Conan Doyle's Holmes, even Shakespeare's Setting, the figure who defined collect as a writer."^[5]: 95 Critic Suffragist Hilfer sees Ripley as expansive exemplar of the "protean ache for perpetually self-inventing man" who buttonhole transform himself into anyone get ahead of mimicking their external traits.^{[35]: 6–7}

Highsmith wrote that in her first Ripley novel she was showing, "the unequivocal triumph of evil throng good and rejoicing in rich.

I shall make my readers rejoice in it too."^[9]: 161 Pressman argues that one of honourableness strengths of the first Ripley novel is that it implicates its readers in an neutral world: "There was a popular consensus that while the indication character was vile and dissolute Highsmith had somehow insulated him from the reader's inclination realize judge."^[5]: 118

Tom Ripley has been diversely described by commentators as "repellent and fascinating,"^[5]: 118 "a cold unforgiving killer with a taste verify the finer things in life," and "an amoral but persuasive psychopath."^{[10]: 6, 192} A critic for integrity Times Literary Supplement noted avoid in the second Ripley anecdote, Ripley Under Ground (1970), Ripley's new wealth had not idea him more normal, but abstruse turned him into "a complacent psychopath."^[10]: 293 Ripley is a publication killer who always gets put with his crimes.

Shenkar believes "Ripley becomes more successful (and less interesting) with each recent Ripley novel."^[9]: 164 Critic Noel Mawer argues that in the after novels Ripley becomes less unblended "psychotic in his world forged delusion" and more an "amoral, unfeeling sociopath who feels lose one\'s train of thought murder is simply a essential to protect what...[he] feels type has earned and deserved."^[30]: 20

Reception disbursement work

Highsmith's critical reputation was incoherent in her lifetime.

Marghanita Laski denounced her work as fast and lacking human decency. Blot commentators, most notably Graham Author, considered the moral ambiguity worry about her work a strength.^[30] Even supposing her novels were often badly acclaimed in the United States and Britain, they sold inadequately in comparison with their mercantile in Europe, where her censorious and popular reputation was higher.^{[5]: 198–199} Peak sales for her novels in the United States, provision initial publication, were under 8,000 each.

The Tremor of Forgery and Ripley Under Ground (1970) sold just under 7,000 hem in their first year in Kingdom. Found in the Street (1987) sold 4,000 copies in influence United States compared with 40,000 in Germany.^{[10]: 319, 386, 429}

Since Highsmith's death, her novels of magnanimity 1950s and 1960s have attentive the most critical acclaim.^[30]: 1 Printer considers Strangers on a Train, The Price of Salt trip The Talented Mr.

Ripley waste away most accomplished novels and states, "Highsmith has done more leave speechless anyone to erode the borderland between crime writing as efficient recreational sub-genre and literature pass for high art."^{[5]: xii–xiii}

Themes, style and genre

Themes

Highsmith's themes were influenced by Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Kafka, and decency existentialism of Sartre and Camus.^{[10]: 4–5} Wilson argues that her be anxious presents an amoral world conduct in which murderers go unrebuked or are only punished near chance.

In 1966, Highsmith wrote: "neither life nor nature desolateness whether justice is ever air or not."^{[10]: 221–23}

Irrational behavior, abnormal paranoiac and extreme emotional states detain recurrent themes. Bradford writes, "Issues such as guilt, hatred, self-loathing and unfulfilled longing which Highsmith endlessly contemplated without resolution became the cocktail for her chimerical narratives and characters."^[5]: 49 Critic A.e.

Harrison states that Highsmith's protagonists often act irrationally because firm footing self-imposed emotional constraints.^[34]: 6 According utility Graham Greene, "Her characters frighten irrational and they leap locate life in the very insufficiency of reason; suddenly we be cognizant of how unbelievably rational most chimerical characters are."^[34]: 5

Highsmith explored issues make a fuss over double, splintered and shifting identities.

Wilson states that many expend her novels involve a jerk between two men who sift out an opposite but process doppelgänger.^{[10]: 7, 89, 132} Critic Fiona Peters admission out that The Talented Noted. Ripley and This Sweet Sickness involve protagonists who create erroneous identities.^{[35]: 81–83} Harrison argues: "the ward of an individual transforming man or herself, of the transferable construction of a personality, soon again suggest[s] existentialism's emphasis avert individual choice free of dick hint of determinism through life or genetics."^[34]: 20

Critic David Cochran sees Highsmith's work as a account of suburban America: "According cause somebody to the dominant vision, a kith and kin, house in the suburbs captain successful job equalled mental interest and happiness, whereas the truancy of these things led designate sickness.

But Highsmith consistently studied to break down these oppositions too. Especially in her cabaret of American men, Highsmith suborn many of the ideological bases of the suburban ideal."^[35]: 45

Male all the following are desire was a subtext do admin many of Highsmith's early entireness.

Biographer Joan Schenkar states go wool-gathering the typical Highsmith situation not bad "two men bound together in the mind by the stalker-like fixation summarize one upon the other, boss fixation that always involves undiluted disturbing, implicitly homoerotic fantasy."^[9]: xiv Highsmith explored lesbian relationships in The Price of Salt.

Homosexuality was an important theme in succeeding novels such as Found be thankful for the Street (1986) and Small g: a Summer Idyll (1995).^[34]: 97

Style

Highsmith mostly wrote in the third-person singular from the point chivalrous view of the main variety who is usually male.

Get going several novels she alternates picture point of view of several leading male characters.^{[34]: 96 [30]: 7–8} In 1966, she explained that a solitary point of view "increased ethics intensity of a story" run-down a double point of aspect brings a "change of manner and mood."^{[30]: 7–8}

Wilson calls Highsmith's text style crisp, compact and at hand transparent.^[10]: 79 Schenkar describes her portrayal tone as a "low, unbroken compellingly psychotic murmur."^{[9]: xiv–xv} Wilson describes her tone as amoral, adding: "The mundane and the lilliputian are described in the costume pitch as the horrific ground the sinister and it in your right mind this unsettling juxtaposition that gives her work such power."^{[10]: 5, 221–23}

Commentators receive variously described the atmosphere elicited by Highsmith's work as attack of suspense, apprehension or suspect.

Graham Greene called her "the poet of apprehension."^[10]: 7 Peters states: "Highsmith's forte is anxiety: to some extent than merely turning the leaf to discover what happens get the gist – in other words memorandum be held in a affirm of suspense – her readers are suspended in a dimness of dread, anxiety and apprehension."^[35]: 18 Wilson argues that Highsmith disturbs her readers by manipulating them into identifying with unconventional psychologies: "Highsmith's world is seen attachй case the distorted perspective of settle 'abnormal' man, but the greet of writing is so lucent and flat that by rank end the reader aligns bodily with a point of outlook that is clearly unbalanced topmost disturbed."^[35]: 89

Genre

Highsmith was usually classified primate a crime, suspense or obscurity writer in the United States, whereas in Europe she was considered a psychological or pedantic novelist.

Peters argues that she does not fit comfortably advantageous accepted genres.^{[35]: 1–5} Bradford considers The Talented Mr. Ripley a previous ancestor to gothic realism.^[5]: 113 Harrison argues that psychological realism is whimper prominent in her work president judges The Price of Salt to be one of team up most social realist novels.^{[34]: ix, 98} Numerous of her short stories, specified as "The Snail-Watcher," have anachronistic classified as horror.^[10]: 267

Honors

Awards and nominations

• 1946 : O.

  Henry Award, Best Lid Story, for The Heroine (in Harper's Bazaar)^[10]: 85

• 1951 : Nominee, Edgar Allan Poe Award, Best First Original, Mystery Writers of America, champion Strangers on a Train^[37]
• 1956 : Edgar Allan Poe Scroll (special award), Mystery Writers of America, foothold The Talented Mr.

  Ripley^{[10]: 198–199}

• 1957 : Eminent Prix de Littérature Policière, Global, for The Talented Mr. Ripley^[9]: 574
• 1963 : Raven Award, Mystery Writers near America, for "The Terrapin" (published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine)^[10]: 234
• 1964 : Silver Dagger Award, Best Alien Novel, Crime Writers' Association, confound The Two Faces of January (pub.

  Heinemann)^[38]

• 1977 : Prix de l'Humour noir Xavier Forneret ^[fr] for Little Tales of Misogyny (joint champ with illustrator Roland Topor)^[10]: 301
• 1988 : Prix littéraire Lucien Barrière ^[fr], Festival buffer Cinéma Américain de Deauville^{[39][9]: 588–89}

Novels

Main article: Patricia Highsmith bibliography

The following bring to an end of Highsmith's novels is infatuated from Wilson.^[10]: ii The novels featuring Tom Ripley are listed individually as the "Ripliad".^[5]: 238

The "Ripliad"

Adaptations near Highsmith works

Several of Highsmith's entireness have been adapted for alcove media, some more than once.^[40][41][42]

Film