Michael Collins (author)

Michael Collins is the most well-known pseudonym of award-winning novelist Dennis Lynds, (b. January 15, 1924 - d. August 19, 2005), an American author who primarily writes mystery fiction. He is a recipient of the Edgar Award, an award given by the Mystery Writers of America (MWA). Over nearly five decades, Lynds published some 80 novels and 200 short stories. He has also been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Private Eye Writers of America and the Marlowe Lifetime Achievement Award from MWA, Southern California Chapter.

Related Topics:
Dennis Lynds - January 15 - 1924 - August 19 - 2005 - American - Author - Mystery fiction - Edgar Award - Award - Mystery Writers of America - Private Eye Writers of America

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Under the pen name 'Michael Collins,' his Dan Fortune stories constitute one of the longest-running private detective series written, beginning in 1967 with "Act of Fear." As Collins, he is largely credited with bringing the detective novel into the modern age: ?Many critics believe Dan Fortune to be the culmination of a maturing process that transformed the private eye from the naturalistic Spade (Dashiell Hammett) through the romantic Marlowe (Raymond Chandler) and the psychological Archer (Ross Macdonald) to the sociological Fortune (Michael Collins),? according to "Private Eyes: 101 Knights" by Robert Baker and Michael Nietzel.

Related Topics:
Dan Fortune - Private detective - Detective novel - Spade - Dashiell Hammett - Marlowe - Raymond Chandler - Archer - Ross Macdonald

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

?After naming Lynds the Best Suspense writer of the 1970s,? Baker and Nietzel continue, ?the Crime Literature Association of West Germany praised him as follows: ?The break in private eye novels started with Michael Collins. At the end of the 1960s, he gave the form something new, a human touch needed for years. His novels are much more than entertainment. There is a philosophy behind the detective, and in each book we take a look at a special section of American society.??

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Baker and Nietzel point out a popular phenomenon that began with Collins?s first book: "Act of Fear ... inspired the by-now monotonous chant by critics about each new hard-boiled author being 'the best since Hammett,' 'the new Chandler,' and 'the heir to Ross Macdonald.' Fortune enjoys a senior status among modern private eyes" predating Lawrence Block, Robert Parker, Elmore Leonard, Joseph Hansen, Joe Gores, Michael Lewin, and Bill Pronzini.

Related Topics:
Lawrence Block - Robert Parker - Elmore Leonard - Joseph Hansen - Joe Gores - Michael Lewin - Bill Pronzini

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Prolific, explaining that he had more ideas than he knew what to do with, he created additional series under the pseudonyms Mark Sadler, John Crowe, William Arden, and Carl Dekker. For a few years, he published under three of these pseudonyms at the same time at three different publishing houses ? Dodd-Mead, Random House, and Bobbs-Merrill. For many years, the New York Times listed his books annually as among the nation?s top mysteries. One year, two appeared on the same list, each written under a different pseudonym.

Related Topics:
Mark Sadler - John Crowe - William Arden - Carl Dekker - Dodd-Mead - Random House - Bobbs-Merrill - New York Times

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As he was writing detective novels, he also published literary books and short stories. Five of his short stories were honored in Best American Short Stories. He was twice short-listed for the Drue Heinz Literature Prize. His mystery and detective short stories have appeared in Best Crime & Mystery Stories of the Year many times. Twice he?s been the guest of honor at literary festivals in France honoring the American detective novel.

Related Topics:
Best American Short Stories - Drue Heinz Literature Prize - Best Crime & Mystery Stories of the Year

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the late 1980s and into the 1990s, Lynds's work took another turn. He began lacing his detective novels with short stories, biographies, and symbolic vignettes, a technique that recent mystery writers have copied and expanded. Critic Richard C. Carpenter discussed it in "Twentieth Century Crime and Mystery Writers": "Powerful and memorable, indicate that Collins has embarked on a new course after some 60 books. Truly he is a writer to be reckoned with."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~