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Robert B. Parker (born September 17, 1932[1]) is an acclaimed American crime writer. His most famous works are the Spenser series, which achieved a far wider audience due to being dramatized as a television series, Spenser: For Hire, on the ABC network during the late 1980s. His works incorporate considerable knowledge about the Boston metropolitan area.[2]
Biography
Parker was born in Springfield, Massachusetts.[1][3] On August 26, 1956 Parker married his wife,[1] Joan, whom he claims to have met as a toddler at a birthday party.[4] They have two sons, David and Daniel. Originally, Parker's character Spenser was to have the first name "David", but he didn't want to omit his other son. So Parker removed the first name completely and to this day, Spenser remains with an unknown first name.[5]
After earning a B.A. from Colby College in Maine, Parker served in the US Army in Korea. In 1957, he earned his Master's degree in English literature from Boston University and then went to work in advertising and technical writing until 1962.[3] Parker received a Ph.D. in English literature from Boston University in 1971.[1][6] His dissertation, titled "The Violent Hero, Wilderness Heritage and Urban Reality", discussed the private-eye heroes of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald.[1][3] He wrote his first novel[6] in 1971 while at Northeastern University. He became a full professor in 1976, and turned to full-time writing in 1979 with five Spenser novels to his credit.[3]
Parker and his wife created an independent film company called Pearl Productions, based in Boston. It is named after their short-haired pointer, Pearl.[6]
Another detective Parker invented is Sunny Randall, whom he created at the behest of actress Helen Hunt, who wanted him to write a part for her to play.[1] He wrote the first book, and the film version was planned for 2000,[3] but never materialized.[6] However, his publisher liked the character and asked him to continue with the series.[6]
Both of Parker's sons are openly gay, which is reflected in Parker's work through his employment of sympathetic homosexual characters, which also serve to give his writing a more modern feel.[4] Aside from crime writing, Parker has also produced several Western novels and children's books.
Selected bibliography
Spenser novels
- The Godwulf Manuscript (1973) ISBN 0-440-12961-3
- God Save the Child (1974) ISBN 0-425-04301-0
- Mortal Stakes (1975) ISBN 0-440-15758-7
- Promised Land (1976) (Edgar Award, 1977, Best Novel) ISBN 0-395-24771-3
- The Judas Goat (1978) ISBN 0-440-14196-6
- Looking for Rachel Wallace (1980) ISBN 0-440-15316-6
- Early Autumn (1980) ISBN 0-440-12214-7
- A Savage Place (1981) ISBN 0-440-08094-0
- Ceremony (1982) ISBN 0-440-10993-0
- The Widening Gyre (1983) ISBN 0-440-19535-7
- Valediction (1984) ISBN 0-440-19246-3
- A Catskill Eagle (1985) ISBN 0-440-11132-3
- Taming a Sea Horse (1986) ISBN 0-440-18841-5
- Pale Kings and Princes (1987) ISBN 0-440-20004-0
- Crimson Joy (1988) ISBN 0-440-20343-0
- Playmates (1989) ISBN 0-425-12001-5
- Stardust (1990) ISBN 0-425-12723-0
- Pastime (1991) ISBN 0-425-13293-5
- Double Deuce (1992) ISBN 0-425-13793-7
- Paper Doll (1993) ISBN 0-425-14155-1
- Walking Shadow (1994) ISBN 0-425-14774-6
- Thin Air (1995) ISBN 0-425-15290-1
- Chance (1996) ISBN 0-425-15747-4
- Small Vices (1997) ISBN 0-425-16248-6
- Sudden Mischief (1998) ISBN 0-425-16828-X
- Hush Money (1999) ISBN 0-425-17401-8
- Hugger Mugger (2000) ISBN 0-399-14587-7
- Potshot (2001) ISBN 0-425-18288-6
- Widow's Walk (2002) ISBN 0-425-18904-X
- Back Story (2003) (also includes Jesse Stone) ISBN 0-425-19479-5
- Bad Business (2004) (also includes Sunny Randall, unnamed) ISBN 0-399-15145-1
- Cold Service (2005) ISBN 0-399-15240-7
- School Days (2005) (also includes Dr. Dix) ISBN 0-399-15323-3
- Hundred-Dollar Baby (2006) ISBN 0-399-15376-4
- Now and Then (2007) ISBN 0-399-15441-8
- Rough Weather (2008) ISBN 0-399-15519-8
Jesse Stone novels
Also see Jesse Stone novels
- Night Passage (1997) (TV movie aired on CBS January 15, 2006) ISBN 0-425-18396-3
- Trouble in Paradise (1998) ISBN 0-515-12649-7
- Death In Paradise (2001) (TV movie aired on CBS April 30, 2006) ISBN 0-399-14779-9
- Stone Cold: A Jesse Stone Novel (2003) (TV movie aired on CBS February 20, 2005) ISBN 0-425-19874-X
- Sea Change (2006) (TV movie aired on CBS May 22, 2007) ISBN 0-399-15267-9
- High Profile (2007) (also includes Sunny Randall) ISBN 0-425-20609-2
- Stranger In Paradise (2008) ISBN 0-399-15460-4
- Night and Day (2009) ISBN 0-399-15541-4
Sunny Randall novels
- Family Honor (1999) ISBN 0-399-14566-4
- Perish Twice (2000) ISBN 0-399-14668-7
- Shrink Rap (2002) ISBN 0-515-13620-4
- Melancholy Baby (2004) (also includes Susan Silverman as Sunny's therapist) ISBN 0-399-15218-0
- Blue Screen (2006) (also includes Susan Silverman as Sunny's therapist and Jesse Stone) ISBN 0-425-21598-9
- Spare Change (2007) (also includes Susan Silverman as Sunny's therapist, and mentions Jesse Stone frequently) ISBN 0-399-15425-6
Philip Marlowe novels
- Poodle Springs (1989). A continuation of an unfinished manuscript by Raymond Chandler, authorized by Chandler's estate. ISBN 0-425-12343-X
- Perchance to Dream (1991). An authorized sequel to Chandler's novel The Big Sleep. ISBN 0-425-13131-9
Other fiction
- Wilderness (1979) ISBN 0-440-19328-1
- Love and Glory (1980) ISBN 0-440-14629-1
- All Our Yesterdays (1994) ISBN 0-440-22146-3
- Gunman's Rhapsody (2001) ISBN 0-425-18289-4
- Double Play (2004) ISBN 0-399-15188-5
- Appaloosa (screen adaptation) (Berkley, 2006) ISBN 0-425-20432-4
- Edenville Owls (2007) ISBN 0-399-24656-8
- Resolution (2008) ISBN 0-399-15504-X
- The Boxer and the Spy (2008) ISBN 0-399-24775-0
Non-fiction
- Sports Illustrated Training with Weights (with John R. Marsh) (1974) ISBN 1-568-00032-4
- Three Weeks in Spring (with Joan H. Parker) (1982) ISBN 0-395-26282-8
- A Year At The Races (with Joan H. Parker) 1990 ISBN 0-670-82678-2
References
External links
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