E.V. Cunningham is a pseudonym used by the prolific American author Howard Melvin Fast (1914-2003). Fast was a versatile writer who penned novels, short stories, plays, and even a screenplay under his own name, as well as using the pen names E.V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson. He was born in New York City and attended George Washington High School, graduating in 1931. Fast's early education included studying at the National Academy of Design in New York, and he later served with the Office of War Information between 1942 and 1943 and the Army Film Project in 1944.
Under the pseudonym E.V. Cunningham, Fast wrote 21 mystery novels, including the Masao Masuto series, and two other novels. He chose this pen name early in his career, in the 1960s, as a way to differentiate his mystery novels from his other works. The Masao Masuto series features a Japanese-American detective based in California, and it was well-received by readers and critics alike. One of Cunningham's novels, Penelope, was adapted into a film in 1966, starring Natalie Wood and Ian Bannen.
In addition to his work as a novelist, Fast was also a political activist who held strong communist views. He was imprisoned for contempt of Congress in 1945 due to his refusal to reveal the names of contributors to a fund for the defense of Communist Party leaders on trial for sedition. After his release from prison, Fast became the owner of the Blue Heron Press in New York, a position he held until 1957. He was also a founder of the World Peace Movement and a member of the World Peace Council from 1950 to 1955, and was later a member of the Fellowship for Reconciliation.
Fast's personal life was as interesting as his professional one. He was married to Bette Cohen in 1937, and they had one son and one daughter together. Fast was a prolific writer who received many awards for his work, including the National Book Award for Fiction in 1953 for his novel "Spartacus." He died at his home in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, on 12 March 2003.