Crime fiction , detective story , murder mystery , mystery novel , and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, often a murder. Most crime drama focuses on criminal investigation and does not feature the courtroom . Suspense and mystery are key elements that are nearly ubiquitous to the genre.
165-514: Robert Albert Bloch ( / b l ɒ k / ; April 5, 1917 – September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime , psychological horror and fantasy , much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small amount of science fiction. His writing career lasted 60 years, including more than 30 years in television and film. He began his professional writing career immediately after graduation from high school, aged 17. Best known as
330-507: A Ripper who has found literal immortality through his crimes, has been widely imitated (or plagiarized); Bloch himself would return to the theme (see below). Stories published in 1946 include "Enoch" (September issue of Weird Tales ) and Lizzie Borden Took an Axe ( Weird Tales , November). Bloch's first novel was published in hardcover – the thriller The Scarf ( The Dial Press 1947; the Fawcett Gold medal paperback of 1966 features
495-738: A blending of the elements of several well-remembered films, and came up with a story line which dealt with the Egyptian cat-goddess ( Bast ), reincarnation and the first bypass operation ever performed on an artichoke heart." A detailed account of the troubled production of the film is described in Bloch's autobiography. Bloch meanwhile (interspersed between his screenplays for Amicus Productions and other projects), penned single episodes for Night Gallery (1971), Ghost Story (1972), The Manhunter (1974), and Gemini Man (1976). In 1965, two further collections of short stories appeared - The Skull of
660-411: A book to Hollywood before. His contract with Simon & Schuster included no bonus for a film sale. The publisher took 15 percent according to contract, while the agent took his 10%; Bloch wound up with about $ 6,750 before taxes. Despite the enormous profits generated by Hitchcock's film, Bloch received no further direct compensation. Only Hitchcock's film was based on Bloch's novel. The later films in
825-725: A certain reverence towards death, as seen in the widespread commemoration of the Day of the Dead. La Calavera Catrina , a character symbolizing death, is also an icon of the Mexican Day of the Dead . San La Muerte (Saint Death) is a skeletal folk saint venerated in Paraguay , northeast Argentina . As the result of internal migration in Argentina since the 1960s, the veneration of San La Muerte has been extended to Greater Buenos Aires and
990-686: A character and pen name. In such novels, clues may be analyzed by the protagonist in tandem with the viewer, generating the possibility of understanding the narrative before it is revealed in the book. Past the Golden Age, events such as the Great Depression and the transition between World Wars ushered in a change in American crime fiction. There was a shift into hard-boiled novels and their depictions of realism. Dashiell Hammett and his work, including Red Harvest (1929), offered
1155-625: A coffin for seven years. Her sister was the goddess of life and destiny, Laima , symbolizing the relationship between beginning and end. Like the Scandinavians, Lithuanians and Latvians later began using Grim Reaper imagery for death. In Breton folklore, a spectral figure called the Ankou ( or Angau in Welsh ) portends death. Usually, the Ankou is the spirit of the last person that died within
1320-453: A convention to raise money for a worthy cause. (The time gave the winner an hour of personal interaction with the writer at the convention.) [3] Bloch published three novels in 1954 – Spiderweb , The Kidnapper and The Will to Kill as he endeavored to support his family. That same year he was a weekly guest panelist on the TV quiz show It's a Draw . Shooting Star (1958), a mainstream novel,
1485-489: A day when most pulp magazines cost a dime. I remember that meant a lot to me." He went on to relate how he would get up very early on the last day of the month, with twenty-five cents saved from his monthly allowance of one dollar, and would run all the way to a combination tobacco/magazine store and buy the new Weird Tales issue, sometimes smuggling it home under his coat if the cover was particularly risqué. His parents were not impressed with Hugh Doak Rankin 's sexy covers for
1650-744: A depiction of Death striking the hour. A version first appeared in 1490. In the Netherlands , and to a lesser extent in Belgium , the personification of Death is known as Magere Hein ("Thin Hein") or Pietje de Dood ("Peter the Death"). Historically, he was sometimes simply referred to as Hein or variations thereof such as Heintje , Heintjeman and Oom Hendrik ("Uncle Hendrik "). Related archaic terms are Beenderman ("Bone-man"), Scherminkel (very meager person, "skeleton") and Maaijeman (" mow -man",
1815-589: A devil or angel of death (e.g., Habakkuk 2:5 ; Job 18:13 ). In both the Book of Hosea and the Book of Jeremiah , Maweth/Mot is mentioned as a deity to whom God can turn over Judah as punishment for worshiping other gods. The memitim are a type of angel from biblical lore associated with the mediation over the lives of the dying. The name is derived from the Hebrew word mĕmītǐm (מְמִיתִים – "executioners", "slayers", "destroyers") and refers to angels that brought about
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#17327760888131980-604: A job writing copy in his advertising firm, also allowing Bloch to write stories in his spare time in the office. Bloch was close friends with C. L. Moore and her husband Henry Kuttner , who visited him in Milwaukee. During the years of the Depression, Bloch appeared regularly in dramatic productions, writing and performing in his own sketches. Around 1936 he sold some gags to radio comedians Stoopnagle and Budd , and to Roy Atwell . Also in 1936, his tale "The Grinning Ghoul"
2145-541: A mode of escapism to cope with other aspects of their lives. Crime fiction provides distraction from readers' personal lives through a strong narrative at a comfortable distance. Forensic crime novels have been referred to as "distraction therapy", proposing that crime fiction can improve mental health and be considered as a form of treatment to prevent depression. In the history of crime fiction, some authors have been reluctant to publish their novels under their real names. More recently, some publish pseudonymously because of
2310-400: A more realistic social perspective to crime fiction, referencing events such as the Great Depression . James M. Cain contributed The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934). This novel includes a married woman trying to murder her own husband with the assistance of a potential suitor. This theme extends to his other work, Double Indemnity (1934). Such elements of the book were a reference to
2475-415: A much-loved movie entitled The Lady Vanishes (1938), and Ira Levin 's (born 1929) science-fiction thriller The Boys from Brazil (1976), which was filmed in 1978 . Older novels can often be retrieved from the ever-growing Project Gutenberg database. Personifications of death Personifications of death are found in many religions and mythologies. In some mythologies, a character known as
2640-469: A necklace of human eyeballs, while his earspools were made from human bones. He was not the only Aztec god to be depicted in this fashion, as numerous other deities had skulls for heads or else wore clothing or decorations that incorporated bones and skulls. In the Aztec world, skeletal imagery was a symbol of fertility, health and abundance, alluding to the close symbolic links between life and death. There
2805-479: A part of me had died with him." After Lovecraft's death in 1937, Bloch continued writing for Weird Tales , where he became one of its most popular authors. He also began contributing to other pulps, such as the science fiction magazine Amazing Stories . Bloch broadened the scope of his fiction. His horror themes included voodoo ("Mother of Serpents"), the conte cruel ("The Mandarin's Canaries"), demonic possession ("Fiddler's Fee"), and black magic ("Return to
2970-432: A pass into the adult section of the public library, where he read omnivorously. Bloch considered himself a budding artist and worked in pencil sketching and watercolours, but myopia in adolescence seemed to effectively bar art as a career. He had passions for German-made lead toy soldiers and for silent cinema . In 1929, Bloch's father Ray Bloch lost his bank job, and the family moved to Milwaukee , where Stella worked at
3135-585: A reference to his scythe ). The concept of Magere Hein predates Christianity , but was Christianized and likely gained its modern name and features (scythe, skeleton, black robe etc.) during the Middle Ages . The designation "Meager" comes from its portrayal as a skeleton , which was largely influenced by the Christian " Dance of Death " ( Dutch : dodendans ) theme that was prominent in Europe during
3300-479: A revised text). It tells the story of a writer, Daniel Morley, who uses real women as models for his characters. But as soon as he is done writing the story, he is compelled to murder them, and always the same way: with the maroon scarf he has had since childhood. The story begins in Minneapolis and follows him and his trail of dead bodies to Chicago , New York City , and finally Hollywood , where his hit novel
3465-461: A screening of Lon Chaney, Sr. 's film The Phantom of the Opera (1925). The scene of Chaney removing his mask terrified the young Bloch ("it scared the living hell out of me and I ran all the way home to enjoy the first of about two years of recurrent nightmares"). It also sparked his interest in horror. Bloch was a precocious child and found himself in fourth grade when he was eight. He also obtained
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#17327760888133630-740: A selection of Bloch's prolific output for fan magazines as The Eight Stage of Fandom: Selections from 25 years of Fan Writing (Advent Publishers). In this era, Stephen King later wrote, "What Bloch did with such novels as The Deadbeat , The Scarf , Firebug , Psycho , and The Couch was to re-discover the suspense novel and reinvent the antihero as first discovered by James Cain ." During 1963, Bloch saw into print two further collections of short stories, Bogey men and Horror-7 . In 1964 Bloch married Eleanor Alexander and wrote original screenplays for two films produced and directed by William Castle , Strait-Jacket (1964) and The Night Walker (also 1964), along with The Skull (1965). The latter film
3795-442: A series in 1999 entitled "Pan Classic Crime", which includes a handful of novels by Eric Ambler , but also American Hillary Waugh 's Last Seen Wearing ... . In 2000, Edinburgh -based Canongate Books started a series called "Canongate Crime Classics" —both whodunnits and roman noir about amnesia and insanity —and other novels. However, books brought out by smaller publishers such as Canongate Books are usually not stocked by
3960-465: A steamy sex scene between Sharon Stone and William Baldwin straight from the 1993 movie , and again, Bret Easton Ellis 's American Psycho (1991). Bloomsbury Publishing PLC , though, have launched what they call "Bloomsbury Film Classics"—a series of original novels on which feature films were based. This series includes, for example, Ethel Lina White 's novel The Wheel Spins (1936), which Alfred Hitchcock —before he went to Hollywood—turned into
4125-412: A still from the movie on the front cover and the film credits on the back cover of the book—yet another marketing strategy aimed at those cinemagoers who may want to do both: first read the book and then watch the film (or vice versa). Recent examples include Patricia Highsmith 's The Talented Mr. Ripley (originally published in 1955), Ira Levin 's Sliver (1991), with the cover photograph depicting
4290-513: A story forward in order to unravel mysteries. Likewise, the feature of detectives was popularized by Edgar Allan Poe and Conan Doyle . Hard-boiled detective stories attracted a decent amount of attention to the genre in America and France as well. Within crime fiction, it can also be common to use dark themes from real life, such as slavery , organized crime , and more. Aside from general themes, referencing instances of crime in real life
4455-506: A story.) Bloch later recalled "believe me, beyond all doubt, I don't know anyone else I'd rather be killed by." Bloch later wrote a third tale, "The Shadow From the Steeple", picking up where "The Haunter of the Dark" finished ( Weird Tales Sept 1950). Lovecraft's death in 1937 deeply affected Bloch, who was then aged only 20. He recalled "Part of me died with him, I guess, not only because he
4620-484: A sword) belongs to the equipment of the Angel of Death ( Eccl. R. iv. 7). The Angel of Death takes on the particular form which will best serve his purpose; e.g., he appears to a scholar in the form of a beggar imploring pity (the beggar should receive Tzedakah )(M. Ḳ. 28a). "When pestilence rages in the town, walk not in the middle of the street, because the Angel of Death [i.e., pestilence] strides there; if peace reigns in
4785-493: A time, place or year" – which means death is destiny.) Morana is a Slavic goddess of winter time, death and rebirth. A figurine of the same name is traditionally created at the end of winter/beginning of spring and symbolically taken away from villages to be set in fire and/or thrown into a river, that takes her away from the world of the living. In the Czech Republic , the medieval Prague Astronomical Clock carries
4950-421: A variety of forms, typically that of an ugly, frightful hag, but in some stories she chooses to appear young and beautiful. Some tales recount that the creature was actually a ghost , often of a specific murdered woman or a mother who died in childbirth. When several banshees appeared at once, it was said to indicate the death of someone great or holy. In Ireland and parts of Scotland, a traditional part of mourning
5115-486: A visit to Derleth's home in Sauk City, Wisconsin (the headquarters of Arkham House ). Bloch was impressed by Derleth who "fulfilled my expectations as a writer by wearing this purple velvet smoking jacket. That impressed me even more because Derleth didn't even smoke." Following this, and continued correspondence with Lovecraft, Bloch went to Chicago and met Farnsworth Wright , the then editor of Weird Tales . He also met
Robert Bloch - Misplaced Pages Continue
5280-467: A wide and passionate following on both sides of the Atlantic, and when Doyle killed off Holmes in " The Final Problem ", the public outcry was so great, and the publishing offers for more stories so attractive, that he was reluctantly forced to resurrect him. In Italy, early translations of English and American stories and local works were published in cheap yellow covers, thus the genre was baptized with
5445-535: Is Agatha Christie , whose texts, originally published between 1920 and her death in 1976, are available in UK and US editions in all English-speaking nations. Christie's works, particularly featuring detectives Hercule Poirot or Miss Jane Marple , have given her the title the Queen of Crime, and made her one of the most important and innovative writers in the development of the genre. Her most famous novels include Murder on
5610-491: Is Florida -based author Carl Hiaasen , who has been publishing books since 1981, all of which are readily available. From time to time, publishing houses decide, for commercial purposes, to revive long-forgotten authors, and reprint one or two of their more commercially successful novels. Apart from Penguin Books , which for this purpose have resorted to their old green cover and dug out some of their vintage authors. Pan started
5775-507: Is mrityu (cognate with Latin mors and Lithuanian mirtis ), which is often personified in Dharmic religions . In Hindu scriptures, the lord of death is called King Yama ( यम राज , Yama Rāja ). He is also known as the King of Karmic Justice ( Dharmaraja ) as one's karma at death was considered to lead to a just rebirth . Yama rides a black buffalo and carries a rope lasso to lead
5940-514: Is also common in several works of crime fiction. These reflections of reality can be expressed in many ways. For instance, crime fiction in Spain expressed grievances with authority, which was opposite to the instances in Japan that credited the government's functionality. Espionage is another prominent inclusion in many works of crime fiction. It includes the use of political intrigue, morality, and
6105-599: Is another early courtroom drama , presented as a suspenseful comedy. The earliest known modern crime fiction is E. T. A. Hoffmann 's 1819 novella "Mademoiselle de Scudéri". Also, Thomas Skinner Surr 's anonymous Richmond is from 1827 ; another early full-length short story in the genre is The Rector of Veilbye by Danish author Steen Steensen Blicher , published in 1829. A further example of crime detection can be found in Letitia Elizabeth Landon 's story The Knife , published in 1832, although here
6270-517: Is considered in Talmudic texts to be a member of the heavenly host with often grim and destructive duties. One of Samael's greatest roles in Jewish lore is that of the main angel of death and the head of satans . Talmud teachers of the 4th century associate quite familiarly with him. When he appeared to one on the street, the teacher reproached him with rushing upon him as upon a beast, whereupon
6435-600: Is frequently portrayed as a skeletal old woman, as depicted in 15th-century dialogue "Rozmowa Mistrza Polikarpa ze Śmiercią" (Latin: "Dialogus inter Mortem et Magistrum Polikarpum" ). In Serbia and other South Slavic countries, the Grim Reaper is well known as Smrt ("Death") or Kosač ("Reaper"). Slavic people found this very similar to the Devil and other dark powers. One popular saying about death is: Smrt ne bira ni vreme, ni mesto, ni godinu ("Death does not choose
6600-558: Is going to be turned into a movie, and where his self-control may have reached its limit. In 1948, Bloch was the Guest of Honor at Torcon I , World Science Fiction Convention , Toronto , Canada. In 1952 he published "Lucy Comes to Stay" ( Weird Tales , January issue). Bloch popularised the "Auction Bloch" at science fiction conventions during the 1950s, a practice in which fans bid on professionals, buying an hour of their time. Bloch would auction off an hour of some well-known writer's time at
6765-511: Is no man who lives and, seeing the Angel of Death, can deliver his soul from his hand." Eccl. 8:4 is thus explained in Midrash Rabbah to the passage: "One may not escape the Angel of Death, nor say to him, 'Wait until I put my affairs in order,' or 'There is my son, my slave: take him in my stead.'" Where the Angel of Death appears, there is no remedy, but his name ( Talmud , Ned. 49a; Hul. 7b). If one who has sinned has confessed his fault,
Robert Bloch - Misplaced Pages Continue
6930-469: Is not a character in the movie. Following his move to Hollywood, around 1960, Bloch had multiple assignments from various television companies. However, he was not allowed to write for five months when the Writers Guild had a strike. After the strike was over, he became a frequent scriptwriter for television and film projects in the mystery, suspense, and horror genre. His first assignments were for
7095-518: Is not uncommon for Death to be female. In England, the personified "Death" featured in medieval morality plays , later regularly appearing in traditional folk songs. The following is a verse of "Death and the Lady" (Roud 1031) as sung by Henry Burstow in the nineteenth century: Fair lady, throw those costly robes aside, No longer may you glory in your pride. Take leave of all sour carnal vain delight I'm come to summon you away this night. In
7260-527: Is now commonly called Pietje de Dood "Little Pete, the Death." Like the other Dutch names, it can also refer to the Devil. In Western Europe , Death has commonly been personified as an animated skeleton since the Middle Ages . This character, which is often depicted wielding a scythe , is said to collect the souls of the dying or recently dead. In English and German culture, Death is typically portrayed as male, but in French, Spanish, and Italian culture, it
7425-462: Is probably the reason so few offer to take showers with me." Though Bloch had little involvement with the film version of his novel , which was directed by Alfred Hitchcock from an adapted screenplay by Joseph Stefano , he was to become most famous as its author. Bloch was awarded a special Mystery Writers of America scroll for the novel in 1961. The novel is one of the first examples at full length of Bloch's use of modern urban horror relying on
7590-472: Is sometimes referred as the Angel of Death as well. Jewish tradition also refers to Death as the Angel of Dark and Light, a name which stems from Talmudic lore. There is also a reference to " Abaddon " (The Destroyer), an angel who is known as the "Angel of the Abyss". In Talmudic lore , he is characterized as archangel Michael . In Hebrew scriptures, Death ( Maweth / Mavet(h) ) is sometimes personified as
7755-436: Is surrounded with a web of fable. When the time came for him to die and the Angel of Death appeared to him, he demanded to be shown his place in paradise. When the angel had consented to this, he demanded the angel's knife, that the angel might not frighten him by the way. This request also was granted to him, and Joshua sprang with the knife over the wall of paradise; the angel, who is not allowed to enter paradise, caught hold of
7920-436: Is the " Queen of Mictlan " (the Aztec underworld ), ruling over the afterlife with her husband Mictlantecuhtli . Other epithets for her include "Lady of the Dead," as her role includes keeping watch over the bones of the dead. Mictecacihuatl was represented with a fleshless body and with jaw agape to swallow the stars during the day. She presided over the ancient festivals of the dead, which evolved from Aztec traditions into
8085-570: Is the "Netherworld Emissary" Jeoseungsaja ( 저승사자 , shortened to Saja (사자)). He is depicted as a stern and ruthless bureaucrat in Yeomna's service. A psychopomp , he escorts all – good or evil – from the land of the living to the netherworld when the time comes. One of the representative names is Ganglim (강림), the Saja who guides the soul to the entrance of the underworld. According to legend, he always carries Jeokpaeji (적패지),
8250-523: Is the keening woman (bean chaointe), who wails a lament – in Irish : Caoineadh, caoin meaning "to weep, to wail." In Scottish folklore there was a belief that a black, dark green or white dog known as a Cù Sìth took dying souls to the afterlife. Comparable figures exist in Irish and Welsh stories. In Welsh Folklore, Gwyn ap Nudd is the escort of the grave, the personification of Death and Winter who leads
8415-645: Is unknown. Lovecraft also suggested Bloch write to other members of the Lovecraft Circle, including August Derleth , R. H. Barlow , Clark Ashton Smith , Donald Wandrei , Frank Belknap Long , Henry S. Whitehead , E. Hoffmann Price , Bernard Austin Dwyer and J. Vernon Shea . Bloch's first completed tales were "Lilies", "The Laughter of a Young Ghoul" and "The Black Lotus". Bloch submitted these to Weird Tales ; editor Farnsworth Wright summarily rejected them all. However Bloch successfully placed "Lilies" in
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#17327760888138580-687: The Book of Tobit , Urashima Tarō from ancient Japan , the One Thousand and One Nights ( Arabian Nights ), and more. One example of a story of this genre is the medieval Arabic tale of " The Three Apples ", one of the tales narrated by Scheherazade in the Arabian Nights . In this tale, a fisherman discovers a heavy locked chest along the Tigris River, and he sells it to the Abbasid Caliph , Harun al-Rashid , who then has
8745-667: The Conan stories of Robert E. Howard . His first professional sales, at the age of 17 (July 1934), to Weird Tales, were the short stories "The Feast in the Abbey" and "The Secret in the Tomb". "Feast ..." appeared first, in the January 1935 issue, which actually went on sale November 1, 1934; "The Secret in the Tomb" appeared in the May 1935 Weird Tales . Bloch's correspondence with Derleth led to
8910-468: The Gray and Snyder trial. Raymond Chandler was a significant author who managed to see some works made into films. In 1944, he argued for the genre to be seen critically in his essay from ‘ The Simple Art of Murder .’ Crime fiction provides unique psychological impacts on readers and enables them to become mediated witnesses through identifying with eyewitnesses of a crime. Readers speak of crime fiction as
9075-459: The Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe ) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul . Other beliefs hold that the spectre of death is only a psychopomp , a benevolent figure who serves to gently sever the last ties between the soul and the body, and to guide the deceased to the afterlife , without having any control over when or how
9240-492: The Macdonald Carey vehicle, Lock-Up , (penning five episodes) as well as one for Whispering Smith . Further TV work included an episode of Bus Stop ("I Kiss Your Shadow"), 10 episodes of Thriller (1960–62, several based on his own stories), and 10 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960–62). His short story collection Pleasant Dreams - Nightmares was published by Arkham House in 1960. Bloch wrote
9405-718: The Man in the Iron Mask ("Iron Mask", 1944), the Marquis de Sade ("The Skull of the Marquis de Sade", 1945) and Lizzie Borden ("Lizzie Borden Took an Axe ...", 1946). In 1944, Laird Cregar performed Bloch's tale "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" over a coast-to-coast radio network. Towards the end of World War Two, in 1945, Bloch was asked to write 39 15-minute episodes of his own radio horror show called Stay Tuned for Terror . Many of
9570-594: The Marquis de Sade and Tales in a Jugular Vein . 1966 saw Bloch win the Ann Radcliffe Award for Television and publisher yet another collection of shorts - Chamber of Horrors . Bloch returned to the site of his childhood home at 620 East Knapp St, Milwaukee (the address used by Lovecraft for the character Robert Blake in "The Haunter of the Dark") only to find the neighborhood razed and the entire neighborhood leveled and replaced by expressway approaches. In 1967, another Bloch collection, The Living Demons
9735-516: The Marquis de Sade " ( Weird Tales, September issue). August Derleth 's Arkham House , Lovecraft's publisher, published Bloch's first collection of short stories, The Opener of the Way , in an edition of 2,000 copies, with jacket art by Ronald Clyne . At the same time, his best-known early tale, "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper", received considerable attention through dramatization on radio and reprinting in anthologies. This story, as noted below, involving
9900-479: The Milwaukee Jewish Settlement settlement house . Robert attended Washington, then Lincoln High School , where he met lifelong friend Harold Gauer. Gauer was editor of The Quill , Lincoln's literary magazine , and accepted Bloch's first published short story, a horror story titled "The Thing" (the "thing" of the title was Death ). Both Bloch and Gauer graduated from Lincoln in 1934 during
10065-481: The Psycho series bear no relation to either of Bloch's sequel novels. Indeed, Bloch's proposed script for the film Psycho II was rejected by the studio (as were many other submissions), and it was this that he subsequently adapted for his own sequel novel. The film Hitchcock (2012) tells the story of Alfred Hitchcock's making of the film version of Psycho . Although it mentions Bloch and his novel, Bloch himself
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#173277608881310230-500: The soul back to his home, called Naraka , pathalloka, or Yamaloka. There are many forms of reapers, although some say there is only one who disguises himself as a small child. His agents, the Yamadutas , carry souls back to Yamalok. There, all the accounts of a person's good and bad deeds are stored and maintained by Chitragupta . The balance of these deeds allows Yama to decide where the soul should reside in its next life, following
10395-540: The 1920s to 1954, was a period of time featuring the creation of renowned works by several authors. Many of these authors were British. Agatha Christie wrote The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and The Murder at the Vicarage (1930). These novels commonly prioritized the allure of exploring mysteries in the plot over in-depth character development. Dorothy L. Sayers contributed the Wimsey novels. Her work focused on
10560-511: The 1940s and early 1950s. During the 1970s, Bloch wrote two TV movies for director Curtis Harrington – The Cat Creature (1973) (an ABC Movie of the Week ) and The Dead Don't Die . The Cat Creature was an unhappy production experience for Bloch. Producer Doug Cramer wanted to do an update of Cat People (1942), the Val Lewton -produced film. Bloch commented: "Instead, I suggested
10725-583: The 19th century was Fergus Hume 's The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886), set in Melbourne, Australia. The evolution of the print mass media in the United Kingdom and the United States in the latter half of the 19th century was crucial in popularising crime fiction and related genres. Literary 'variety' magazines, such as Strand , McClure's , and Harper's , quickly became central to
10890-475: The Angel of Death like a beast before the slaughterer" ( Grünhut , "Liḳḳuṭim", v. 102a). R. Samuel's father (c. 200) said: "The Angel of Death said to me, 'Only for the sake of the honor of mankind do I not tear off their necks as is done to slaughtered beasts'" ('Ab. Zarah 20b). In later representations, the knife sometimes replaces the sword, and reference is also made to the cord of the Angel of Death, which indicates death by throttling. Moses says to God: "I fear
11055-503: The Angel of Death may not touch him ( Midrash Tanhuma , ed. Buber, 139). God protects from the Angel of Death (Midrash Genesis Rabbah lxviii.). By acts of benevolence, the anger of the Angel of Death is overcome; when one fails to perform such acts the Angel of Death will make his appearance (Derek Ereẓ Zuṭa, viii.). The Angel of Death receives his orders from God (Ber. 62b). As soon as he has received permission to destroy, however, he makes no distinction between good and bad (B. Ḳ. 60a). In
11220-583: The Bloch-based character, repaying a "courtesy" Bloch earlier paid Lovecraft with his 1935 tale " The Shambler from the Stars ", in which the Lovecraft-inspired figure dies; the story goes so far as to use Bloch's then-current address (620 East Knapp Street) in Milwaukee. (Bloch even had a signed certificate from Lovecraft [and some of his creations] giving Bloch permission to kill Lovecraft off in
11385-660: The Fold " (another Jack the Ripper variant), and " Catspaw ". In 1968, Bloch returned to London to do two episodes for the English Hammer Films series Journey to the Unknown for Twentieth Century Fox . One of the episodes, "The Indian Spirit Guide", was included in the American TV movie Journey to Midnight (1968). The other episode was "Girl of My Dreams", co-scripted with Michael J. Bird and based on
11550-402: The Grim Reaper with a scythe and black robe. Today, Ingmar Bergman 's 1957 film The Seventh Seal features one of the world's most famous representations of this personification of Death. In Poland , Death – Śmierć or kostuch – has an appearance similar to the Grim Reaper, although its robe was traditionally white instead of black. Because the word śmierć is feminine in gender, death
11715-641: The Jack the Ripper theme. His contribution to Harlan Ellison 's 1967 science fiction anthology Dangerous Visions was a story, " A Toy for Juliette ", which evoked both Jack the Ripper and the Marquis de Sade in a time-travel story. The same anthology had Ellison's sequel to it titled " The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World ". His earlier idea of the Ripper as an immortal being resurfaced in Bloch's contribution to
11880-518: The Land of Sky-Blue Ointments , Bloch also worked for a time in local vaudeville and tried to break into writing for nationally-known performers. Bloch gradually evolved away from Lovecraftian imitations towards a unique style of his own. One of the first distinctly "Blochian" stories was "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" ( Weird Tales , July 1943). The story was Bloch's take on the Jack the Ripper legend, and
12045-565: The Lord " smites 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp (II Kings 19:35). When the Angel of Death passes through to smite the Egyptian first-born , God prevents "the destroyer" ( shâchath ) from entering houses with blood on the lintel and side posts ( Exodus 12:23). The "destroying angel" ( mal'ak ha-mashḥit ) rages among the people in Jerusalem (II Sam. 24:16). In I Chronicles 21:15 the "angel of
12210-400: The Lord" is seen by King David standing "between the earth and the heaven , having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem ." The biblical Book of Job (33:22) uses the general term "destroyers" ( memitim ), which tradition has identified with "destroying angels" ( mal'ake Khabbalah ), and Prov. 16:14 uses the term the "angels of death" ( mal'ake ha-mavet ). The angel Azra'il
12375-524: The Orient Express (1934), Death on the Nile (1937), and the world's best-selling mystery And Then There Were None (1939). Other less successful, contemporary authors who are still writing have seen reprints of their earlier works, due to current overwhelming popularity of crime fiction texts among audiences. One example is Val McDermid , whose first book appeared as far back as 1987; another
12540-641: The Sabbat"). Bloch visited Henry Kuttner in California in 1937. Bloch's first science fiction story, "Secret of the Observatory", was published in Amazing Stories (August 1938). In 1935 Bloch joined a writers' group, The Milwaukee Fictioneers, members of which included Stanley Weinbaum , Ralph Milne Farley and Raymond A. Palmer . Another member of the group was Gustav Marx, who offered Bloch
12705-536: The Sabbath" in July 1938. Bloch's first science fiction story, "The Secret of the Observatory" appeared in Amazing Stories (Aug 1938). In a profile accompanying this tale, Bloch described himself as "tall, dark, unhandsome" with "all the charm and personality of a swamp adder". He noted that "I hate everything", but reserved particular dislike for "bean soup, red nail polish, house-cleaning, and optimists". In 1939, Bloch
12870-611: The Spanish word for death, muerte, is a feminine noun . As such, it is common in Spanish-speaking cultures to personify death as a female figure. A common term for the personification of death across Latin America is "la Parca" from one of the three Roman Parcae , a figure similar to the Anglophone Grim Reaper, though usually depicted as female and without a scythe. In Aztec mythology , Mictecacihuatl
13035-459: The Thief" and "Ali Khwaja", contain two of the earliest fictional detectives , who uncover clues and present evidence to catch or convict a criminal, with the story unfolding in normal chronology and the criminal already being known to the audience. The latter involves a climax where titular detective protagonist Ali Khwaja presents evidence from expert witnesses in a court. " The Hunchback's Tale "
13200-533: The US. As used by S. S. Van Dine , fictional character Philo Vance also took advantage of an inflated personality and a high-class background in a plethora of novels. In 1929, Father Ronald Knox wrote the ‘Detective Story Decalogue,’ mentioning some conditions of the era. Early foreshadowing and functioning roles for characters were discussed, as well as other items. Ellery Queen was featured in several novels written by Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee , serving as both
13365-514: The University of Chicago; this was reprinted in the critical volume The Science Fiction Novel (Advent Publishers). His story "The Hungry Eye" appeared in Fantastic (May). This was also the year in which, despite having graduated from painting watercolours to oils, he gave up painting completely. Norman Bates , the main character in Psycho , was very loosely based on two people. First was
13530-579: The Wild Hunt to collect wayward souls and escort them to the Otherworld, sometimes it is Maleagant , Arawn or Afallach in a similar position. In Greek mythology , Thanatos , the personification of death, is one of the offspring of Nyx (Night). Like her, he is seldom portrayed directly. He sometimes appears in art as a winged and bearded man, and occasionally as a winged and beardless youth. When he appears together with his twin brother, Hypnos ,
13695-523: The alias Cyril Hare , in which he made use of his profoundly extensive knowledge of the English legal system. When he was still young and unknown, award-winning British novelist Julian Barnes (born 1946) published some crime novels under the alias Dan Kavanagh. Other authors take delight in cherishing their alter egos ; Ruth Rendell (1930–2015) wrote one sort of crime novels as Ruth Rendell and another type as Barbara Vine ; John Dickson Carr also used
13860-610: The angel called upon him at his house. To another, he granted a respite of thirty days, that he might put his knowledge in order before entering the next world. To a third, he had no access, because he could not interrupt the study of the Talmud. To a fourth, he showed a rod of fire, whereby he is recognized as the Angel of Death (M. K. 28a). He often entered the house of Bibi and conversed with him (Ḥag. 4b). Often, he resorts to strategy in order to interrupt and seize his victim (B. M. 86a; Mak. 10a). The death of Joshua ben Levi in particular
14025-400: The belief that since the large booksellers are aware of their historical sales figures, and command a certain degree of influence over publishers, the only way to "break out" of their current advance numbers is to publish as someone with no track record. In the late 1930s and 1940s, British County Court Judge Arthur Alexander Gordon Clark (1900–1958) published a number of detective novels under
14190-508: The boundaries are indistinct. Crime fiction has several subgenres , including detective fiction (such as the whodunit ), courtroom drama , hard-boiled fiction, and legal thrillers . Proto-science and crime fictions have been composed across history, and in this category can be placed texts as varied as the Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia , the Mahabharata from ancient India ,
14355-424: The campaign, and the innovations he and Gauer came up with – for instance, the original releasing-balloons-from-the-ceiling schtick. He comments bitterly on how, after Zeidler's victory, they were ignored and not even paid their promised salaries. He ends the story with a wryly philosophical point: If Carl Zeidler had not asked Jim Doolittle to manage his campaign, Doolittle would never have contacted me about it. And
14520-494: The character of Norman Bates on Ed Gein is discussed in the documentary Ed Gein: The Ghoul of Plainfield , which can be found on Disc 2 of the DVD release of the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). However, Bloch also commented that it was the situation itself – a mass murderer living undetected and unsuspected in a typical small town in middle America – rather than Gein himself who sparked Bloch's storyline. He writes: "Thus
14685-446: The chest broken open, only to find inside it the dead body of a young woman who was cut into pieces. Harun orders his vizier , Ja'far ibn Yahya , to solve the crime and find the murderer within three days, or be executed if he fails his assignment. The story has been described as a " whodunit " murder mystery with multiple plot twists . The story has detective fiction elements. Two other Arabian Nights stories, "The Merchant and
14850-693: The city of Luz, the Angel of Death has no power, and, when the aged inhabitants are ready to die, they go outside the city (Soṭah 46b; compare Sanh. 97a). A legend to the same effect existed in Ireland in the Middle Ages ( Jew. Quart. Rev. vi. 336). Death is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse portrayed in the Book of Revelation , in Revelation 6:7–8 . And I looked, and behold
15015-463: The community and appears as a tall, haggard figure with a wide hat and long white hair or a skeleton with a revolving head. The Ankou drives a deathly wagon or cart with a creaking axle. The cart or wagon is piled high with corpses and a stop at a cabin means instant death for those inside. Irish mythology features a similar creature known as a dullahan , whose head would be tucked under their arm (dullahans were not one, but an entire species). The head
15180-447: The cord of the Angel of Death" (Grünhut, l.c. v. 103a et seq.). Of the four Jewish methods of execution, three are named in connection with the Angel of Death: Burning (by pouring hot lead down the victim's throat), slaughtering (by beheading), and throttling. The Angel of Death administers the particular punishment that God has ordained for the commission of sin. A peculiar mantle ("idra" – according to Levy, "Neuhebr. Wörterb." i. 32,
15345-581: The death is also associated with Exu , lord of the crossroads, who rules cemeteries and the hour of midnight. In Haitian Vodou , the Gede are a family of spirits that embody death and fertility. The most well-known of these spirits is Baron Samedi . Yama was introduced to Chinese mythology through Buddhism . In China, he is known as King Yan ( t 閻 王 , s 阎 王 , p Yánwáng ) or Yanluo ( t 閻羅 王 , s 阎罗 王 , p Yánluówáng ), ruling
15510-590: The destruction of those whom the guardian angels no longer protected. While there may be some debate among religious scholars regarding the exact nature of the memitim, it is generally accepted that, as described in the Book of Job 33:22, they are killers of some sort. According to the Midrash , the Angel of Death was created by God on the first day. His dwelling is in heaven , whence he reaches earth in eight flights, whereas Pestilence reaches it in one. He has twelve wings. "Over all people have I surrendered thee
15675-411: The drop into it. This drop causes his death; he turns putrid, and his face becomes yellow. The expression "the taste of death" originated in the idea that death was caused by a drop of gall. The soul escapes through the mouth, or, as is stated in another place, through the throat; therefore, the Angel of Death stands at the head of the patient ( Adolf Jellinek , l.c. ii. 94, Midr. Teh. to Ps. xi.). When
15840-482: The end of his garment. Joshua swore that he would not come out, and God declared that he should not leave paradise unless he had ever absolved himself of an oath; he had never absolved himself of an oath so he was allowed to remain. The Angel of Death then demanded back his knife, but Joshua refused. At this point, a heavenly voice ( bat ḳol ) rang out: "Give him back the knife, because the children of men have need of it will bring death." Hesitant, Joshua Ben Levi gives back
16005-525: The eponymous story by Richard Matheson . Following the movie The Skull (1965), which was based on a Bloch story but scripted by Milton Subotsky , he wrote the screenplays for five feature films produced by Amicus Productions – The Psychopath (1966), The Deadly Bees (co-written with Anthony Marriott, 1967), Torture Garden (also 1967), The House That Dripped Blood (1971) and Asylum (1972). The last two films featured stories written by Bloch that were printed first in anthologies he wrote in
16170-542: The existence of spies. Prior media used the Cold War for inspiration and provided commentary on such events. Examples include numerous works by John le Carré and Gorky Park (1981), which was written by Martin Cruz Smith . Inspiration can be drawn from the legal system around the world, with varying degrees of realism. In these cases, a sense of morality and the more dubious parts of society are explored based on
16335-457: The first Weird Tales writer outside of Derleth he had encountered - Otto Binder . Bloch's early stories were strongly influenced by Lovecraft. Indeed, a number of his stories were set in, and extended, the world of Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos . These include "The Dark Demon", in which the character Gordon is a figuration of Lovecraft, and which features Nyarlathotep ; "The Faceless God" (features Nyarlathotep); "The Grinning Ghoul" (written after
16500-449: The first 1,200 words. In 1962 numerous works appeared in book form. Bloch's novel The Couch (1962) (the basis for the screenplay of his first movie, filmed the same year) was published. That year several Bloch short story collections – Atoms and Evil , More Nightmares and Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper – were published, as well as another novel, Terror (whose working titles included Amok and Kill for Kali ). Editor Earl Kemp assembled
16665-466: The framework for the classic detective story. The detective's unnamed companion is the narrator of the stories and a prototype for the character of Dr. Watson in later Sherlock Holmes stories. Wilkie Collins ' epistolary novel The Woman in White was published in 1860, while The Moonstone (1868) is often thought to be his masterpiece. French author Émile Gaboriau 's Monsieur Lecoq (1868) laid
16830-458: The genre. Many stories often begin when the crime has already occurred. Such fiction also tends to draw from the cultural aspects in which the work originated, whether from recent events or from a general consensus and viewpoints. The use of serial killers and unreliable narrators exists in a decent variety of crime fiction as well. The plot-puzzle formula, which was frequent in the Golden Age, makes use of potential hints and solutions to drive
16995-480: The god of sleep, Thanatos generally represents a gentle death. Thanatos, led by Hermes psychopompos , takes the shade of the deceased to the near shore of the river Styx , whence the ferryman Charon , on payment of a small fee , conveys the shade to Hades , the realm of the dead. Homer's Iliad 16.681, and the Euphronios Krater 's depiction of the same episode, have Apollo instruct the removal of
17160-529: The goddess of death and ruler over the realm of the same name, where she received a portion of the dead. In the times of the Black Plague , Death would often be depicted as an old woman known by the name of Pesta, meaning "plague hag", wearing a black hood. She would go into a town carrying either a rake or a broom. If she brought the rake, some people would survive the plague; if she brought the broom, however, everyone would die. Scandinavians later adopted
17325-465: The groundwork for the methodical, scientifically minded detective. The evolution of locked-room mysteries was one of the landmarks in the history of crime fiction. The Sherlock Holmes mysteries of Doyle's are said to have been singularly responsible for the huge popularity of this genre. A precursor was Paul Féval , whose series Les Habits Noirs (1862–67) features Scotland Yard detectives and criminal conspiracies. The best-selling crime novel of
17490-657: The hardcover novel The Todd Dossier , originally as by Collier Young, were published in 1969. Bloch won a second Ann Radcliffe Award, this time for Literature, in 1969. That same year, Bloch was invited to the Second International Film Festival in Rio de Janeiro , March 23–31, along with other science fiction writers from the United States, Britain and Europe. Crime fiction It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as historical fiction and science fiction , but
17655-535: The height of the Great Depression . Bloch was involved in the drama department at Lincoln and wrote and performed in school vaudeville skits. During the 1930s, Bloch was an avid reader of the pulp magazine Weird Tales , which he had discovered at the age of ten in 1927. In the Chicago Northwestern Railroad depot with his parents and aunt Lil, his aunt offered to buy him any magazine he wanted and he picked Weird Tales (Aug 1927 issue) off
17820-465: The heroic, semi-divine Sarpedon 's body from the battlefield by Hypnos and Thanatos, and conveyed thence to his homeland for proper funeral rites. Among the other children of Nyx are Thanatos' sisters, the Keres , blood-drinking, vengeful spirits of violent or untimely death, portrayed as fanged and taloned, with bloody garments. In Scandinavia , Norse mythology personified death in the shape of Hel ,
17985-475: The horrors of interior psychology rather than the supernatural. "By the mid-1940s, I had pretty well mined the vein of ordinary supernatural themes until it had become varicose," Bloch explained to Douglas E. Winter in an interview. "I realized, as a result of what went on during World War II and of reading the more widely disseminated work in psychology, that the real horror is not in the shadows, but in that twisted little world inside our own skulls." While Bloch
18150-510: The knife in exchange for the Angel of Death's name. To never forget the name, he carved Troke into his arm, the Angel of Death's chosen name. When the knife was returned to the Angel, Joshua's carving of the name faded, and he forgot. (Ket. 77b; Jellinek, l.c. ii. 48–51; Bacher, l.c. i. 192 et seq.). The Rabbis found the Angel of Death mentioned in Psalm 89:48, where the Targum translates: "There
18315-437: The larger bookshops and overseas booksellers. The British Library has also (since 2012) started republishing "lost" crime classics, with the collection referred to on their website as the "British Library Crime Classics series". Sometimes, older crime novels are revived by screenwriters and directors rather than publishing houses. In many such cases, publishers then follow suit and release a so-called "film tie-in" edition showing
18480-427: The late 1800s, the character of Death became known as the Grim Reaper in English literature. The earliest appearance of the name "Grim Reaper" in English is in the 1847 book The Circle of Human Life : All know full well that life cannot last above seventy, or at the most eighty years. If we reach that term without meeting the grim reaper with his scythe, there or there about, meet him we surely shall. The " Angel of
18645-727: The late 1910s, Cheng began writing his own detective fiction series, Sherlock in Shanghai , mimicking Conan Doyle's style, but relating better to a Chinese audience. During the Mao era , crime fiction was suppressed and mainly Soviet-styled and anticapitalist. In the post-Mao era, crime fiction in China focused on corruption and harsh living conditions during the Mao era (such as the Cultural Revolution ). The Golden Age, which spanned from
18810-412: The late Middle Ages. "Hein" was a Middle Dutch name originating as a short form of Heinric (see Henry (given name) ). Its use was possibly related to the comparable German concept of "Freund Hein." Notably, many of the names given to Death can also refer to the Devil; it is likely that fear of death led to Hein's character being merged with that of Satan . In Belgium, this personification of Death
18975-476: The list with the names of the dead written on a red cloth. When he calls the name of Jeokpaeji three times, the soul leaves the body and follows him inevitably. The Kojiki relates that the Japanese goddess Izanami was burnt to death giving birth to the fire god Hinokagutsuchi . She then entered a realm of perpetual night called Yomi-no-Kuni . Her husband Izanagi pursued her there but discovered his wife
19140-512: The magazine, and when the Bloch family moved to Milwaukee in 1928 young Bloch gradually abandoned his interest. But by the time he had entered high school, he returned to reading Weird Tales during convalescence from flu. H. P. Lovecraft , a frequent contributor to Weird Tales , became one of his favorite writers. The first of Lovecraft's stories he had read was " Pickman's Model ", in Weird Tales for October 1927. Bloch wrote: "In school I
19305-574: The manner of Lovecraft) and "The Unspeakable Betrothal" (vaguely attached to the Cthulhu Mythos). It was Bloch who invented, for example, the oft-cited Mythos texts De Vermis Mysteriis and Cultes des Goules . Many other stories influenced by Lovecraft were later collected in Bloch's volume Mysteries of the Worm (now in its third, expanded edition). In 1935, Bloch wrote the tale "Satan's Servants", on which Lovecraft lent much advice, but none of
19470-477: The modern Day of the Dead after synthesis with Spanish cultural traditions. Mictlāntēcutli, is the Aztec god of the dead and the king of Mictlan , depicted as a skeleton or a person wearing a toothy skull. He is one of the principal gods of the Aztecs and is the most prominent of several gods and goddesses of death and the underworld. His headdress was shown decorated with owl feathers and paper banners and he wore
19635-459: The name Mot and a version of Mot later became Maweth, the devil or angel of death in Judaism. Latvians named Death Veļu māte , but for Lithuanians it was Giltinė , deriving from the word gelti ("to sting"). Giltinė was viewed as an old, ugly woman with a long blue nose and a deadly venomous tongue. The legend tells that Giltinė was young, pretty, and communicative until she was trapped in
19800-630: The national prison system as well. Saint Death is depicted as a male skeleton figure usually holding a scythe . Although the Catholic Church in Mexico has attacked the devotion of Saint Death as a tradition that mixes paganism with Christianity and is contrary to the Christian belief of Christ defeating death, many devotees consider the veneration of San La Muerte as being part of their Catholic faith . The rituals connected and powers ascribed to San La Muerte are very similar to those of Santa Muerte;
19965-638: The newsstand over her shocked protest. He began his readings of the magazine with the first instalment of Otis Adelbert Kline 's "The Bride of Osiris" which dealt with a secret Egyptian city called Karneter located beneath Bloch's birth city of Chicago . The Depression came in the early 1930s. He later recalled, in accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award at the First World Fantasy Convention (1975), how "times were very hard. Weird Tales cost twenty-five cents in
20130-516: The only reason Doolittle knew me to begin with was because he read my yarn ("The Cloak") in Unknown . Rattling this chain of circumstances, one may stretch it a bit further. If I had not written a little vampire story called "The Cloak", Carl Zeidler might never have become mayor of Milwaukee. Also in 1939, two of Bloch's tales were published: "The Strange Flight of Richard Clayton" ( Amazing Stories, August) and "The Cloak" ( Unknown, March). Many of
20295-483: The original Star Trek series episode " Wolf in the Fold ". His 1984 novel Night of the Ripper is set during the reign of Queen Victoria and follows the investigation of Inspector Frederick Abberline in attempting to apprehend the Ripper, and includes some famous Victorians such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle within the storyline. Bloch won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for "That Hellbound Train" in 1959,
20460-698: The over 100 stories Bloch wrote in the first decade of his career. Around the same time, he began work as an advertising copywriter at the Gustav Marx Advertising Agency, a position he held until 1953. Marx allowed Bloch to write stories in the office in quiet times. Bloch published a total of 23 Lefty Feep stories in Fantastic Adventures , the last one published in 1950, but the bulk appeared during World War II. Feep's character name had actually been coined by Bloch's friend/collaborator Harold Gauer for their unpublished novel In
20625-444: The overall structure and function of popular fiction in society, providing a mass-produced medium that offered cheap, illustrated publications that were essentially disposable. Like the works of many other important fiction writers of his day—e.g. Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens —Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories first appeared in serial form in the monthly Strand in the United Kingdom. The series quickly attracted
20790-519: The police, and depicted the authorities and the wealthy in very negative terms. In China, crime fiction is a major literary tradition, with works dating to the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties. Modern Chinese crime fiction emerged from the 1890s, and was also influenced by translations of foreign works. Cheng Xiaoqing , considered the "Grand Master" of 20th-century Chinese detective fiction, translated Sherlock Holmes into classical and vernacular Chinese. In
20955-477: The power," said God to the Angel of Death, "only not over this one [i.e. Moses ] which has received freedom from death through the Law." It is said of the Angel of Death that he is full of eyes. In the hour of death, he stands at the head of the departing one with a drawn sword, to which clings a drop of gall . As soon as the dying man sees Death, he is seized with a convulsion and opens his mouth, whereupon Death throws
21120-411: The programs were adaptations of his own pulp stories. (All episodes were broadcast, but recordings were thought to be lost. However, in 2020, two episodes, "The Bogeyman Will Get You" and "Lizzie Borden Took an Axe" were re-discovered amongst the archives of an old-time radio enthusiast. These episodes have now been posted on YouTube and Internet Archive). [1] [2] . The same year he published "The Skull of
21285-530: The prose was by Lovecraft; this tale did not appear in print until 1949, in Something About Cats and Other Pieces . The young Bloch appears, thinly disguised, as the character Robert Blake in Lovecraft's story " The Haunter of the Dark " (1936), which is dedicated to Bloch. Bloch was the only individual to whom Lovecraft ever dedicated a story. In this story, Lovecraft kills off Robert Blake,
21450-446: The pseudonym Carter Dickson . Author Evan Hunter (which itself was a pseudonym) wrote his crime fiction under the name of Ed McBain. As crime fiction has expanded, there have been many common tropes that emerge from this category of fiction. Such occurrences can appear in a variety of subgenres and media. While the format may vary across different forms of crime fiction, there are many elements that are generally consistent throughout
21615-491: The reader to decipher. Famous writers include Leonardo Sciascia , Umberto Eco , and Carlo Emilio Gadda . In Spain, The Nail and Other Tales of Mystery and Crime was published by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón in 1853. Crime fiction in Spain (also curtailed in Francoist Spain ) took on some special characteristics that reflected the culture of the country. The Spanish writers emphasized the corruption and ineptitude of
21780-626: The real-life serial killer Ed Gein , about whom Bloch later wrote a fictionalized account, "The Shambles of Ed Gein". (The story can be found in Crimes and Punishments: The Lost Bloch, Volume 3 ). Second, it has been indicated by several people, including Noel Carter (wife of Lin Carter ) and Chris Steinbrunner , as well as allegedly by Bloch himself, that Norman Bates was partly based on Calvin Beck, publisher of Castle of Frankenstein . Bloch's basing of
21945-463: The real-life murderer was not the role model for my character Norman Bates. Ed Gein didn't own or operate a motel. Ed Gein didn't kill anyone in the shower. Ed Gein wasn't into taxidermy. Ed Gein didn't stuff his mother, keep her body in the house, dress in a drag outfit, or adopt an alternative personality. These were the functions and characteristics of Norman Bates, and Norman Bates didn't exist until I made him up. Out of my own imagination, I add, which
22110-559: The resemblance between their names, however, is coincidental. In Guatemala , San Pascualito is a skeletal folk saint venerated as "King of the Graveyard." He is depicted as a skeletal figure with a scythe, sometimes wearing a cape and crown. He is associated with death and the curing of diseases. In the African-Brazilian religion Umbanda , the orixá Omolu personifies sickness and death as well as healing. The image of
22275-493: The rules that the work provides. Melville Davisson Post ’s Rudolph Mason: The Strange Schemes (1896) and Harper Lee ’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) are notable examples. Additionally, stories like Double Indemnity (1934) are based on cases from reality. Only a select few authors have achieved the status of "classics" for their published works. A classic is any text that can be received and accepted universally, because they transcend context. A popular, well-known example
22440-504: The same year that his sixth novel, Psycho, was published. Bloch had written an earlier short story involving dissociative identity disorder , "The Real Bad Friend", which appeared in the February 1957 Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine , that foreshadowed the 1959 novel Psycho . However, Psycho also has thematic links to the story "Lucy Comes to Stay". Also in 1959, Bloch delivered a lecture titled "Imagination and Modern Social Criticism" at
22605-504: The screenplay for The Cabinet of Caligari (1962), which is only very loosely related to the 1920 German silent film , and proved to be an unhappy experience. The same year, Bloch penned the story and teleplay " The Sorcerer's Apprentice " for Alfred Hitchcock Presents . The episode was shelved when the NBC Television Network and sponsor Revlon called its ending "too gruesome" (by 1960s standards) for airing. Bloch
22770-514: The semi-professional magazine Marvel Tales (Winter 1934) and "Black Lotus" in Unusual Stories (1935). Bloch later commented, "I figured I'd better do something different or I'd end up as a florist." Bloch graduated from high school in June 1934. He then wrote a story which promptly (six weeks later) sold to Weird Tales. Bloch's first publication in Weird Tales was a letter criticising
22935-468: The soul forsakes the body, its voice goes from one end of the world to the other, but is not heard (Gen. R. vi. 7; Ex. R. v. 9; Pirḳe R. El. xxxiv.). The drawn sword of the Angel of Death, mentioned by the Chronicler (I. Chron. 21:15; comp. Job 15:22; Enoch 62:11), indicates that the Angel of Death was figured as a warrior who kills off the children of men. "Man, on the day of his death, falls down before
23100-565: The spectacle of crime deduction. She also displayed an exaggerated form of aristocratic society, straying from a more realistic story. Other novelists tapped into this setting, such as Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh ; Allingham, Christie, Marsh and Sayers are known as the Queens of Crime . Other British authors are G. K. Chesterton with the Father Brown short stories, and Henry Christopher Bailey . The Golden Age also had roots in
23265-644: The stories Bloch published in Strange Stories in 1939 as by 'Tarleton Fiske' were fantasy/horror hybrids of the contes cruels type. In October 1941, the tale "A Good Knight's Work" in Unknown Worlds first appeared. Shortly thereafter, Bloch created the Damon Runyon -esque humorous series character Lefty Feep in the story "Time Wounds All Heels" Fantastic Adventures (April 1942). This magazine, along with Weird Tales, published most of
23430-718: The ten gods of the underworld Diyu . He is normally depicted wearing a Chinese judge's cap and traditional Chinese robes and appears on most forms of hell money offered in ancestor worship . From China, Yama spread to Japan as the Great King Enma ( 閻魔 大 王 , Enma-Dai-Ō ), ruler of Jigoku ( 地獄 ); Korea as the Great King Yeomra ( 염라 대왕 ), ruler of Jiok ( 지옥 ); and Vietnam as Diêm La Vương , ruler of Địa Ngục or Âm Phủ . Separately, in Korean mythology , death's principal figure
23595-488: The term libri gialli or yellow books. The genre was outlawed by the Fascists during WWII , but exploded in popularity after the war, especially influenced by the American hard-boiled school of crime fiction. A group of mainstream Italian writers emerged, who used the detective format to create an antidetective or postmodern novel in which the detectives are imperfect, the crimes are usually unsolved, and clues are left for
23760-627: The theory of reincarnation . Yama is also mentioned in the Mahabharata as a great philosopher and devotee of the Supreme Brahman . The Canaanites of the 12th- and 13th-century BC Levant personified death as the god Mot ( lit. "Death"). He was considered a son of the king of the gods , El . His contest with the storm god Baʿal forms part of the Ba'al Cycle from the Ugaritic texts . The Phoenicians also worshipped death under
23925-599: The town, walk not on the edges of the road. When pestilence rages in the town, go not alone to the synagogue, because there the Angel of Death stores his tools. If the dogs howl, the Angel of Death has entered the city; if they make sport, the prophet Elijah has come" (B. Ḳ. 60b). The "destroyer" ( saṭan ha-mashḥit ) in the daily prayer is the Angel of Death (Ber. 16b). Midr. Ma'ase Torah (compare Jellinek, "B. H." ii. 98) says: "There are six Angels of Death: Gabriel over kings; Ḳapẓiel over youths; Mashbir over animals; Mashḥit over children; Af and Ḥemah over man and beast." Samael
24090-459: The truth remains in doubt at the end. Better known are the earlier dark works of Edgar Allan Poe . His brilliant and eccentric detective C. Auguste Dupin , a forerunner of Arthur Conan Doyle 's Sherlock Holmes , appeared in works such as " The Murders in the Rue Morgue " (1841), " The Mystery of Marie Rogêt " (1842), and " The Purloined Letter " (1844). With his Dupin stories, Poe provided
24255-545: The victim dies. Death is most often personified in male form, although in certain cultures death is perceived as female (for instance, Marzanna in Slavic mythology , or Santa Muerte in Mexico ). Death is also portrayed as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse . Most claims of its appearance occur in states of near-death . As is the case in many Romance languages (including French, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian),
24420-430: The writer of Psycho (1959), the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock , Bloch wrote hundreds of short stories and over 30 novels. He was a protégé of H. P. Lovecraft , who was the first to seriously encourage his talent. However, while he started emulating Lovecraft and his brand of cosmic horror , he later specialized in crime and horror stories working with a more psychological approach. Bloch
24585-601: Was a contributor to pulp magazines such as Weird Tales in his early career, and was also a prolific screenwriter and a major contributor to science fiction fanzines and fandom in general. He won the Hugo Award (for his story " That Hell-Bound Train "), the Bram Stoker Award , and the World Fantasy Award . He served a term as president of the Mystery Writers of America (1970) and
24750-713: Was a member of that organization and of Science Fiction Writers of America , the Writers Guild of America , the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Count Dracula Society. In 2008, The Library of America selected Bloch's essay "The Shambles of Ed Gein " (1962) for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of American true crime . His favorites among his own novels were The Kidnapper , The Star Stalker , Psycho , Night-World, and Strange Eons . His work has been extensively adapted into films, television productions, comics, and audiobooks. Bloch
24915-575: Was also the goddess of suicide , Ixtab . She was a minor goddess in the scale of Maya mythology . She was also known as The Hangwoman as she came to help along those who had killed themselves. Our Lady of the Holy Death (Santa Muerte) is a female deity or folk saint of Mexican folk religion, whose popularity has been growing in Mexico and the United States in recent years. Since the pre-Columbian era , Mexican culture has maintained
25080-436: Was based on his short story "The Skull of the Marquis de Sade". Bloch's further TV writing in this period included The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (7 episodes, 1962–1965), I Spy (1 episode, 1966), Run for Your Life (1 episode, 1966), and The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1 episode, 1967). He penned three scripts for the original Star Trek series which were screened in 1966 and 1967: " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ", " Wolf in
25245-473: Was born in Chicago, the son of Raphael "Ray" Bloch (1884–1952), a bank cashier, and his wife Stella Loeb (1880–1944), a social worker, both of German Jewish descent. Bloch's family moved to Maywood , a Chicago suburb, when he was five; he lived there until he was ten. He attended the Methodist Church there, despite his parents' Jewish heritage, and studied at Emerson Grammar School. In 1925, at eight years of age, living in Maywood, he attended (alone at night)
25410-411: Was contacted by James Doolittle, who was managing the campaign for Mayor of Milwaukee of a little-known assistant city attorney named Carl Zeidler . He was asked to work on Zeidler's speechwriting, advertising, and photo ops, in collaboration with his long-time friend Harold Gauer. They created elaborate campaign shows; in Bloch's 1993 autobiography, Once Around the Bloch , he gives an inside account of
25575-470: Was filled out with more genuine factual details of the case than many other fictional treatments. It cast the Ripper as an eternal being who must make human sacrifices to extend his immortality . It was adapted for both radio (in Stay Tuned for Terror ) and television (as an episode of Thriller in 1961 adapted by Barré Lyndon ). Bloch followed up this story with a number of others in a similar vein dealing with half-historic, half-legendary figures such as
25740-683: Was forced to squirm my way through the works of Oliver Wendell Holmes , James Lowell and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . In 'Pickman's Model', the ghouls ate all three. Now that, I decided, was poetic justice." As a teenager, Bloch wrote a fan letter to Lovecraft (1933), asking where he could find copies of earlier stories of Lovecraft's that Bloch had missed. Lovecraft lent them to him. Lovecraft also gave Bloch advice on his early fiction-writing efforts, asking whether Bloch had written any weird work and, if so, whether he might see samples of it. Bloch took up Lovecraft's offer in late April 1933, sending him two short items, "The Gallows" and another work whose title
25905-475: Was issued. He also published another classic story of Jack the Ripper , "A Toy for Juliette" in Harlan Ellison 's Dangerous Visions anthology. In 1968 he published a duo of long sf novellas as Ladies' Day and This Crowded Earth . His novel The Star Stalker was published, and Dragons and Nightmares (the first collection of Lefty Feep stories) appeared in hardcover (Mirage Press). The collection Bloch and Bradbury (a collaboration with Ray Bradbury ) and
26070-428: Was made from a spine; or they would toss a basin of blood on the person, which was a sign that the person was next to die. Gaelic lore also involves a female spirit known as Banshee (Modern Irish Gaelic: bean sí pron. banshee, literally fairy woman ), who heralds the death of a person by shrieking or keening. The banshee is often described as wearing red or green, usually with long, disheveled hair. She can appear in
26235-462: Was no longer as beautiful as before. After an argument, she promised she would take a thousand lives every day, becoming a goddess of death, as well as giving birth to the gods, Raijin and Fūjin , while dead. There are also death gods called shinigami (死神), which are closer to the Western tradition of the Grim Reaper; while common in modern Japanese arts and fiction, they were essentially absent in traditional mythology. The Sanskrit word for death
26400-444: Was not a god, he was mortal, that is true, but because he had so little recognition in his own lifetime. There were no novels or collections published, no great realization, even here in Providence, of what was lost." Elsewhere he wrote, "the news of his fate came to me as a shattering blow; all the more so because the world at large ignored his passing. Only my parents and a few correspondents seemed to sense my shock, and my feeling that
26565-421: Was not the first horror writer to utilise a psychological approach (it originates in the work of Edgar Allan Poe ), Bloch's psychological approach in modern times was comparatively unique. Bloch's agent, Harry Altshuler , received a "blind bid" for the novel – the buyer's name was not mentioned – of $ 7,500 for screen rights to the book. The bid eventually went to $ 9,500, which Bloch accepted. Bloch had never sold
26730-546: Was pleased later when the episode was included in the program's syndication package to affiliate stations, where not one complaint was registered. Today, due to public domain status, the episode is readily available in home media formats from numerous distributors and is even available on free video on demand . His TV work did not slow Bloch's fictional output. In the early 1960s he published several novels, including The Dead Beat (1960), and Firebug (1961), for which Harlan Ellison , then an editor at Regency Books, contributed
26895-404: Was published in Weird Tales (June); "The Opener of the Way" appeared in Weird Tales (Oct); "Mother of Serpents" appeared in the December issue. The December issue also contained Lovecraft's tale "The Haunter of the Dark" in which he killed off young author "Robert Blake". In 1937, following Lovecraft's death, "The Mannikin" appeared in Weird Tales for April. Weird Tales published "Return to
27060-659: Was published in a double volume with a collection of Bloch's stories titled Terror in the Night . This Crowded Earth (1958) was science fiction. With the demise of Weird Tales , Bloch continued to have his fiction published in Amazing , Fantastic , The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction , and Fantastic Universe ; he was a particularly frequent contributor to Imagination and Imaginative Tales . His output of thrillers increased and he began to appear regularly in The Saint , Ellery Queen and similar mystery magazines, and to such suspense and horror-fiction magazine projects as Shock . Bloch continued to revisit
27225-425: Was said to have large eyes and a smile that could reach the head's ears. The dullahan would ride a black horse or a carriage pulled by black horses, and stop at the house of someone about to die, and call their name, and immediately the person would die. The dullahan did not like being watched, and it was believed that if a dullahan knew someone was watching them, they would lash that person's eyes with their whip, which
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