James M. Cain 1946 Photo: AP / TT
Sample of authors
Cain, James M.
The American author and journalist James Mallahan Cain was a prominent figure in 20th century fiction. Alongside Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, he was among the first authors of "hardboiled" crime fiction that came to influence American noir fiction and film. Many of his works are considered classics, especially the novellas The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) and Double Indemnity...
Photo: Ulf Andersen / Getty Images (1991)
Sample of authors
Škvorecký, Josef
The Czech author, editor, translator and (film)scriptwriter Josef Škvorecký was born in Náchod, in Bohemia. He is considered to be one of the most important names in Czech literature, together with Jan Neruda, Jaroslav Hašek and Karel Čapek. One reason is that he described the problems and traumas of his home country in a convincing manner, while never hiding his interest in Western popular cult...