Chester Himes
Chester Himes was born in Jefferson City, Missouri in 1909 and grew up in Cleveland. Aged 19 he was arrested for armed robbery and sentenced to 25 years in jail. In jail he began to write short stories, some of which were published in Esquire magazine. Upon release he took a variety of jobs, from working in a California shipyard to journalism to script-writing, while continuing to write fiction. He later moved to Paris where he was commissioned to write the first of his Harlem detective novels...See more
Chester Himes was born in Jefferson City, Missouri in 1909 and grew up in Cleveland. Aged 19 he was arrested for armed robbery and sentenced to 25 years in jail. In jail he began to write short stories, some of which were published in Esquire magazine. Upon release he took a variety of jobs, from working in a California shipyard to journalism to script-writing, while continuing to write fiction. He later moved to Paris where he was commissioned to write the first of his Harlem detective novels, A Rage in Harlem , which won the 1957 Grand Prix du Roman Policier. In 1969 Himes moved to Spain, where he died in 1984. See less
Chester Himes's Featured Books
Chester Himes book reviews
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The Real Cool Killers
A Harlem Novel In Noir
From its beginnings in detective magazines and pulp fiction, American noir developed into literature of varied people and places. Chester Himes (1909 --1984) was one of the first African Americans to ... Read More
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A Rage in Harlem
Harlem In Noir
Chester Himes' 1957 novel, "Rage in Harlem" offers a tough, unsentimental, and visceral look at the people, streets, and places of Harlem in the 1950s. His description of Harlem is detailed and ... Read More