Times were rough and Brown took whatever work he could get, mostly officework, but also as a dishwasher, a busboy and a detective. Their sons James and Linn were born in Milwaukee, in 19. In 1929 he marries Helen Ruth Brown, whom he only knew via correspondence. Next Brown attends semesters at Hanover College and at the University of Cincinnati. After graduation he got a steady job as an office boy, which formed the background for his autobiographical novel 'The Office' (1958). He apparently wrote for the High School paper but that work has been lost. His father died a year later, in 1921, leaving Brown alone. During her illness, young Fred prayed a lot, but to no avail, and since then he can be considered a fervent atheist. His mother died after been taken ill when Fred was only 14 years old. Anecdotes like this one colour the memories of his friends and colleagues, but of course we do have a few sure biographical facts.įredric William Brown was born an only child on Octoin Cincinnati, Ohio. He 'hated writing, but loved having written' according to his second wife, Elizabeth. He had various hobbies, among which painting and playing his flute - he once described himself as being 'the finest flute player in Taos, by virtue of being the only one'. He was a rather small, timid, and frail man who liked to read, drink, and play chess or poker and hated to publicize his private life. We don't know too much of the person behind the writer, and this is especially true about Brown's youth. For even in his weaker works, Fredric Brown established himself as a writer who managed to write more than just stories, because in them the reader will find a universe of original thought, of a simple man finding unusual answers to the questions of life. Sure, his words were written for entertainment, and for bringing home the bacon, but there's more to it than just that. But most of all his books deserve to be read again and again because of that intangible quality you can't describe, but which is always there in between the lines, that special something which makes it stand out and instantly recognizable as Brown's work. The reasons seem obvious for those who have read his work: Fredric Brown is one of the best story plotters in the business, his works contain some of the most innovative ideas of his generation, and there is always the sly wit, the word play, the romanticism, the paradox, the surprise ending. Established names as various as Robert Bloch, Philip José Farmer and Mickey Spillane were and are among his most avid fans.

That's what critics and colleagues have called him many times and they still continue to do so. Of 'The Screaming Mimi' and 'What Mad Universe'Ī writer's writer.

The Book Case of Fredric Brown (by Alex Verstegen) op De BoekenplankĪ B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

The Screaming Mimi by Fredric Brown