S. S. Van Dine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids S.S. Van Dine
Portrait of writer Willard Huntington Wright (S. S. Van Dine) by his brother Stanton Macdonald-Wright, 1913–14
Born	Willard Huntington Wright October 15, 1888 Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Died	April 11, 1939 (aged 50) New York City, U.S.
Known for	Art criticism, Detective novels featuring Philo Vance
Spouse(s)	Katharine Belle Boynton (1907–1930) Eleanor Rulapaugh, aka Claire De Lisle (1930–his death)
Relatives	Stanton Macdonald-Wright (brother)

S. S. Van Dine was the pen name of Willard Huntington Wright (born October 15, 1888 – died April 11, 1939). He was an American art critic who became famous for writing detective novels. Before writing mysteries, Wright was involved in modern art and culture in New York before World War I.

He used the name S. S. Van Dine to keep his identity a secret at first. Under this name, he created the fictional detective Philo Vance. Vance was a smart and stylish detective who first appeared in books in the 1920s. Later, his stories were made into films and radio shows.

Willard Wright's Early Life

Willard Huntington Wright was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, on October 15, 1888. His parents were Archibald Davenport Wright and Annie Van Vranken Wright. His younger brother, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, grew up to be a respected painter. Stanton was one of the first American abstract artists. He also helped start a modern art style called "Synchromism".

Willard and Stanton grew up in Santa Monica, California. Their father owned a hotel there. Willard mostly taught himself to write. He went to St. Vincent College, Pomona College, and Harvard University but did not finish his studies.

Willard Wright's Writing Career

When he was 21, Wright started his writing career as a literary editor for the Los Angeles Times. He was known for his strong opinions and sharp book reviews. He often criticized romance and detective fiction.

H.L. Mencken, a friend and mentor, was an early inspiration for Wright. Other important writers who influenced him included Oscar Wilde and Ambrose Bierce. Wright supported the "naturalism" style of writing, seen in authors like Theodore Dreiser. Wright's own novel, The Man of Promise (1916), was written in a similar way.

In 1911, Wright moved to New York City. He became an editor for the New York literary magazine The Smart Set from 1912 to 1914. During his time there, he published stories and poems by many famous writers. These included D.H. Lawrence, Joseph Conrad, and William Butler Yeats.

In 1913, he visited Paris and Munich and saw many modern art pieces. He wrote an article about this art, Impressionism to Synchromism, which helped introduce abstract art to the public in the U.S.

Wright was also known for his writings about art. In his book Modern Painting: Its Tendency and Meaning (1915), he looked at important art movements. He praised the work of Cézanne and predicted that art would move towards abstract colors. Wright became an important art critic. He helped organize art shows that introduced new painters to audiences. He also wrote a book about art philosophy, The Creative Will (1916).

In 1917, Wright published Misinforming a Nation. In this book, he strongly criticized the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition for being inaccurate. He faced some trouble because of his views during World War I.

Becoming a Detective Fiction Writer

In 1920, Wright returned to New York. He took on freelance writing jobs but struggled financially. He spent a long time recovering from an illness. During this time, he read hundreds of crime and detective books out of boredom.

This led him to write an important essay in 1926. It explored the history and rules of detective fiction as an art form. Wright then decided to try writing detective stories himself. He planned a series of three books featuring a rich, snobby amateur detective named Philo Vance. The stories would be set in Jazz Age Manhattan.

In 1926, the first Philo Vance book, The Benson Murder Case, was published. He used the pen name "S.S. Van Dine". Within two years, after The Canary Murder Case and The Greene Murder Case were published, Wright became one of the best-selling authors in the United States.

Wright did not want to publish these popular books under his real name. He felt a bit embarrassed about writing popular fiction instead of intellectual works. He chose "S.S." from "steamship" and "Van Dine" from what he said was an old family name.

He wrote twelve mystery novels in total. The first few books about Philo Vance sold many copies. This made Wright wealthy for the first time in his life. His books were read by many people around the world.

Later, Wright's books became less popular. The tastes of readers changed, and a new style of detective fiction, called "hard-boiled", became popular in the 1930s. Even though his books were not as popular, Wright continued to make money. He felt stuck because he needed the money from his novels to keep up his lifestyle, but he no longer believed in the kind of books he was writing.

Rules for Detective Stories

Wright's introduction to the book The World's Great Detective Stories (1927) is very important for studying detective fiction. He also wrote an article called "Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories" in 1928 for The American Magazine. These rules have been printed many times and are often compared to "Knox's (Ten) Commandments" for detective fiction.

Short Films and Movies

In the early 1930s, Wright wrote stories for Warner Brothers film studio. These stories were used for a series of 12 short "murder mystery" films. Each film was about 20 minutes long and released in 1931–1932. One of these, The Skull Murder Mystery, showed Wright's strong plot ideas. It was also unusual for its time because it treated its Chinese characters fairly.

Most of Wright's novels were made into full-length movies. Famous actors like William Powell, Basil Rathbone, and Edmund Lowe played the role of Philo Vance. Actresses like Louise Brooks, Jean Arthur, and Rosalind Russell also appeared in the S.S. Van Dine movies.

Later Life and Passing

Willard Huntington Wright passed away on April 11, 1939, at the age of 50. He had a heart condition. He died a year after his last novel, The Gracie Allen Murder Case. He left behind a story for a Sonja Henie film, which was published after his death as The Winter Murder Case.

His portrait, painted by his brother in 1914, is displayed in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

S.S. Van Dine's Works

Mystery Novels

• The Benson Murder Case. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1926
• The Canary Murder Case. New York: Scribners, 1927
• The Greene Murder Case. New York: Scribners, 1928
• The Bishop Murder Case. New York: Scribners, 1929
• The Scarab Murder Case. New York: Scribners, 1930
• The Kennel Murder Case. New York: Scribners, 1933
• The Dragon Murder Case. New York: Scribners, 1933
• The Casino Murder Case. New York: Scribners, 1934
• The Garden Murder Case. New York: Scribners, 1935
• The President's Mystery Story. New York: Farrar and Rinehart, 1935. (Co-authored with other writers)
• The Kidnap Murder Case. New York: Scribners, 1936
• The Gracie Allen Murder Case. New York: Scribners, 1938
• The Winter Murder Case. New York: Scribners, 1939

Short Mystery Stories

• "Scarlet Nemesis." Cosmopolitan, Jan. 1929
• "A Murder In A Witches' Cauldron." Cosmopolitan, February 1929
• "The Man In The Blue Overcoat." Cosmopolitan, May 1929
• "The Chorinsky Murder." Cosmopolitan, June 1929
• "The Almost Perfect Crime." Cosmopolitan, July 1929
• "The Inconvenient Husband." Cosmopolitan, August 1929
• "The Bonmartini Murder Case." Cosmopolitan, October 1929
• "Fool!" Cosmopolitan, Jan. 1930
• "The Clyde Mystery." Illustrated Detective Magazine, July 1932

Film Scenarios

• The Clyde Mystery (September 27, 1931)
• The Wall Street Mystery (November 4, 1931)
• The Week End Mystery (December 6, 1931)
• The Symphony Murder Mystery (January 10, 1932)
• The Studio Murder Mystery (February 7, 1932)
• The Skull Murder Mystery (March 1932)
• The Cole Case (The Cole Murder Case) (April 3, 1932)
• Murder in the Pullman (May 22, 1932)
• The Side Show Mystery (June 11, 1932)
• The Campus Mystery (July 2, 1932)
• The Crane Poison Case (July 9, 1932)
• The Trans-Atlantic Murder Mystery (August 31, 1932)

See also

In Spanish: S. S. Van Dine para niños