He is considered among the most influential crime writers in American literature, with some critics claiming his superiority to the more popular Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.
After suffering a series of strokes, he starved himself to death.
Sold drugs and bootleg liquor as a teenager while working at the Hotel Texas.
Many of his early short stories were based on real murders but rewritten from a first-person perspective.
Was blacklisted during the "Red Scare" era of Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
Suffered a nervous breakdown at age 19.
Grew up in Fort Worth, Texas.
Was a member of the American Communist party for a time, but eventually broke with them.