Evan Hunter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Evan Hunter
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Hunter in March 2001
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| Born | Salvatore Albert Lombino October 15, 1926 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 2005 (aged 78) Weston, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Pen name | John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Ed McBain, Richard Marsten, others |
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| Period | 1951–2005 |
| Genre | Crime fiction, mystery fiction, science fiction |
| Notable works | 87th Precinct series |
| Spouse | Anita Melnick, 1949 (divorced) Mary Vann Finley, 1973 (divorced) Dragica Dimitrijevic, 1997 (until his death) |
| Children | 3 sons; 1 stepdaughter |
Evan Hunter (born Salvatore Albert Lombino; October 15, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was an American writer. He wrote exciting crime fiction and mystery fiction stories.
He is most famous for his 87th Precinct novels. These books were published under his special writing name, Ed McBain. They are known as classic examples of the "police procedural" style. This means they show how police officers really solve crimes step-by-step.
Evan Hunter also wrote The Blackboard Jungle. This novel was partly based on his own experiences as a teacher. It became a popular movie in 1955. He also wrote the movie script for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film The Birds. This movie was inspired by a short story by Daphne du Maurier.
Hunter legally changed his name in 1952. He also used other writing names like John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, and Richard Marsten.
Contents
About Evan Hunter
His Early Life and Education
Salvatore Lombino was born and grew up in New York City. He lived in East Harlem until he was 12. Then, his family moved to the Bronx. He went to Olinville Junior High School and Evander Childs High School. He even won a scholarship to the New York Art Students League. Later, he studied art at Cooper Union.
During World War II, Lombino served in the United States Navy. He wrote several short stories while on a destroyer ship in the Pacific Ocean. However, these stories were not published until he became a well-known author in the 1950s.
After the war, Lombino returned to New York. He went to Hunter College. There, he studied English and psychology. He also took classes in drama and education. He graduated with high honors in 1950. He wrote a weekly column for the college newspaper. In 1981, he was honored for his amazing achievements by Hunter College.
While trying to become a writer, Lombino worked many different jobs. For example, he taught for 17 days at Bronx Vocational High School in 1950. This short time as a teacher later inspired his famous novel, The Blackboard Jungle (1954). He wrote this book using the name Evan Hunter. It was made into a movie in 1955.
In 1951, Lombino worked as an editor for a literary agency. He worked with famous writers like Arthur C. Clarke. In the same year, he sold his first professional short story. It was a science fiction tale called "Welcome, Martians!". He published it under his birth name, S. A. Lombino.
Why He Used Different Names
Soon after his first story sale, Lombino started selling stories under the names Evan Hunter and Hunt Collins. Many people think the name Evan Hunter came from two schools he attended: Evander Childs High School and Hunter College. He never fully confirmed this, but he did say Hunt Collins came from Hunter College.
In May 1952, he legally changed his name to Evan Hunter. An editor told him that a novel he wrote would sell better with the name Evan Hunter. After that, he used Evan Hunter for both his personal and professional life.
As Evan Hunter, he became very well known for his novel The Blackboard Jungle (1954). This book was about crime among young people and the public school system in New York City. The movie version came out in 1955.
During this time, Hunter also wrote many other types of stories. His agents told him that publishing too much crime fiction as Evan Hunter might hurt his reputation as a serious writer. So, in the 1950s, he used other names like Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, and Richard Marsten for his crime stories. He also wrote many science fiction stories and novels under different names.
His most famous writing name, Ed McBain, was first used in 1956 for Cop Hater. This was the first book in the popular 87th Precinct crime series. Hunter told people he was McBain in 1958. But he kept using the Ed McBain name for decades. He used it for the 87th Precinct series and another detective series called Matthew Hope. Around 1960, he stopped using most of his other pen names. From then on, crime novels were usually by Ed McBain, and other types of books were by Evan Hunter. Hunter said this helped readers know what kind of story to expect. McBain's books had a similar style, while Hunter's books were more varied.
As Evan Hunter, he continued to write novels throughout the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s. He also became a successful writer for movies and television. He wrote the script for the Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds (1963). He also wrote scripts for movies based on his own novels, like Strangers When We Meet (1960) and Fuzz (1972).
The 87th Precinct series was very popular. New books came out almost every year until he passed away. There was even a TV show called 87th Precinct in 1961–62, based on McBain's books.
From 1978 to 1998, Ed McBain wrote a series about a lawyer named Matthew Hope. These books often had titles inspired by famous children's stories. In 2000, a novel called Candyland was published. It was credited to both Evan Hunter and Ed McBain. This book was special because it started with Hunter's style and then switched to McBain's police procedural style.
Hunter also gave advice to other writers. He told them to "find their voice" because it's the most important thing in any novel.
His Family and Later Life
Evan Hunter had three sons. Richard Hunter is an author and harmonica player. Mark Hunter is a professor, reporter, and author. Ted Hunter was a painter who passed away in 2006.
Hunter was a heavy smoker for many years. He had three heart attacks and needed heart surgery. In 1992, doctors found a problem on his larynx (voice box). It was removed, but the cancer returned later. Evan Hunter passed away in Weston, Connecticut, in 2005 from laryngeal cancer. He was 78 years old.
Awards and Recognition
Evan Hunter received many awards for his writing.
- He was nominated for an Edgar Award for his short story "The Last Spin" (1956).
- He was also nominated for an Edgar Award for the movie The Birds (1964).
- In 1986, he was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. This is a very high honor for mystery writers.
- In 1998, he received the Diamond Dagger award from the British Crime Writers Association. He was the first American to get this award.
- He was nominated for an Anthony Award for Best Series of the Century for his 87th Precinct series (2000).
- He was nominated for an Edgar Award for his novel Money, Money, Money (2002).
Images for kids
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Hunter's "Silent Partner" was the cover story on the August 1952 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly, credited to S. A. Lombino
