Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith was born in Texas and was raised between there and New York City. She is known the world over for her oft-adapted psychological thrillers and crime novels, one of the most famous of which is The Talented Mr. Ripley. A graduate of Barnard College, Highsmith began to gain recognition for her short stories in the early 1940s, and, in 1950, published her first novel, Strangers on a Train, to great acclaim. The book was later adapted into a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Described as “difficult,” “cruel,” “rough,” and “relentlessly ugly” by various editors, publishers, and acquaintances, Highsmith struggled with depression and disordered eating throughout her life. Highsmith, a lesbian, navigated tumultuous relationships with men and women alike throughout her adult life. She is credited with writing and publishing (under a different pen name) the first lesbian novel with a happy ending, The Price of Salt, in 1952. in 1963, she moved to Switzerland, where she lived until her death in 1995.