Richard Stark

Donald E. Westlake was a highly prolific and accomplished mystery author, best known for his versatility and success in the genre. Throughout his career, he wrote over 100 books and five screenplays, using a manual typewriter. He was born in New York City, which served as the setting for many of his works, regardless of the pseudonym he used.

Westlake received three Edgar Awards, together with the Grand Master title from the Mystery Writers of America. His first novel, "The Mercenaries," was published by Random House in 1960, and he continued to write under various pseudonyms, including Richard Stark, Samuel Holt, Tucker Coe, and Edwin West. In addition to his Edgar Awards, Westlake received an Academy Award nomination for one of his screenplays.

Westlake was born on July 12, 1933, and died on December 31, 2008. He was an American writer who specialized in crime fiction, with a particular focus on comic capers. However, he also ventured into science fiction and other genres on occasion. Westlake won Edgars in three different categories, including Best Novel, Best Short Story, and Best Motion Picture Screenplay. In 1993, the Mystery Writers of America named him a Grand Master, the highest honor bestowed by the society.

One of Westlake's most well-known pseudonyms was Richard Stark, which he used to write about the relentless and remorseless professional thief Parker and his accomplices. Stark debuted in 1959 and was inactive from 1974 until 1997, when Westlake began writing and publishing Parker novels under Stark's name once again. The University of Chicago began republishing the Richard Stark novels in 2008. Westlake's influence on other writers is evident in Stephen King's novel "The Dark Half," in which he named the central villain George Stark as an homage to Westlake.