Brian Garfield facts for kids

Brian Francis Wynne Garfield (born January 26, 1939 – died December 29, 2018) was an American writer. He wrote many novels and screenplays. He also studied history.

Brian Garfield won an Edgar Award for his writing. He was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He wrote his first book when he was just 18 years old. He wrote over 70 books in total. More than 20 million copies of his books were sold around the world.

Nineteen of his books were turned into movies or TV shows. He is most famous for his novel Death Wish (1972). This book became a very popular movie in 1974. It also led to a series of other movies.

Early Life

Brian Garfield was born in New York City. His father was George Garfield. His mother, Frances O'Brien, was a portrait artist. She was friends with the famous painter Georgia O'Keeffe. O'Keeffe actually introduced Brian's parents. Brian was also a distant relative of the famous writer Mark Twain.

Career as a Writer

In the 1950s, Brian Garfield played music with a band called the Palisades. He also went to the University of Arizona. He served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves from 1957 to 1965.

His first novel, Range Justice, came out in 1960. He wrote it when he was 18. By the end of the 1960s, he had already published 60 novels! After he turned 50, he kept writing but not as many books.

In 1972, he published Death Wish. This book was made into a movie with the same name in 1974. The movie starred Charles Bronson. Four more Death Wish movies followed, all with Charles Bronson. Later, Bruce Willis starred in a new Death Wish movie in 2018. Brian Garfield only worked on the first movie.

He also wrote a sequel book called Death Sentence (1975). This book was loosely made into a movie in 2007. The movie had a different story. But it shared the book's idea about people taking the law into their own hands.

Another famous book, Hopscotch, was also published in 1975. It won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. Brian Garfield wrote the screenplay for the 1980 movie based on Hopscotch. This movie starred Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson.

In 1970, Brian Garfield was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History. This was for his book The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians. His last book, published in 2007, was about a British intelligence officer named Richard Meinertzhagen.

Brian and his wife, Bina, lived in Pasadena, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. They supported Wildlife WayStation, which is an animal sanctuary.

Death

Brian Garfield passed away at his home in Pasadena in December 2018. He was 79 years old. His wife said he died from problems related to Parkinson's disease.

Legacy

The famous writer John Grisham said Brian Garfield's article "Ten Rules for Suspense Fiction" helped him learn how to write thrillers. When Brian Garfield died, writer Lawrence Block tweeted that he was a "Fine writer, friend for years."

In 2015, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Research Center received a special gift. Brian Garfield and his wife donated letters and other items. These were between Brian's mother, Frances O'Brien, and the artist Georgia O'Keeffe. These items show how the two women worked, their humor, and what their lives were like.

Pen Names

Brian Garfield sometimes used other names for his books. These are called pen names:

• Bennett Garland
• Alex Hawk
• John Ives
• Drew Mallory
• Frank O'Brian
• Jonas Ward
• Brian Wynne
• Frank Wynne

Works

Novels

Here are some of the novels Brian Garfield wrote:

Short Stories

• Checkpoint Charlie (1981) - A collection of 12 short stories.
• Suspended Sentences (1992) - A collection of 8 short stories.

Non-fiction Books

• The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians (1969)
• Western Films: A Complete Guide (1982)
• The Meinertzhagen Mystery: The Life and Legend of a Colossal Fraud (2008)

Screenplays (Movies)

Brian Garfield helped write these movie scripts:

• The Last Hard Men (1976) - Based on his novel Gun Down.
• Hopscotch (1980) - Based on his own novel.
• The Stepfather (1987) - He helped create the story for this film.

See also

• List of Ace Western Double Titles