James Sallis is an accomplished American author, critic, poet, and editor, who is best known for his series of novels featuring the character Lew Griffin and set in New Orleans. He was born on December 21, 1944, in Helena, Arkansas. Sallis has made a name for himself as a novelist, essayist, and translator, with a body of work that includes fourteen novels, multiple collections of short stories, essays, and poems, books of musicology, a biography of Chester Himes, and a translation of Raymond Queneau's novel Saint Glinglin.
Sallis's work has received critical acclaim and recognition in the literary world. He has written about books for prominent publications such as the L.A. Times, New York Times, and Washington Post, and for several years, he served as a books columnist for the Boston Globe. In 2007, Sallis received a lifetime achievement award from Bouchercon, a major award in the crime fiction genre. His 2005 novel, Drive, gained even more popularity when it was adapted into a film of the same name in 2011, which was recognized at the Cannes film festival.
In addition to his writing, Sallis is also a musician and plays regularly with his string band, Three-Legged Dog. He has a passion for teaching and shares his expertise with aspiring writers as a novel writing instructor at Phoenix College. Moreover, several of his Lew Griffin books are under consideration for development as feature films, and his novel, Driven, is already optioned to the same team as Drive. Despite his numerous accomplishments, Sallis remains humble and stays busy, always eager to explore new creative ventures.