Dorothy B. Hughes : A Poet Turns to Crime

Hailed by critics and fans as “The Queen of Noir” and “a prescient feminist,” Dorothy B. Hughes (1904-1993) challenged the conventions of the crime fiction genre by exploring race, class, and social justice across her fourteen novels. Edwin Battistella’s new work weaves discussion of Hughes’s literary output with the story of her life. Dorothy B. Hughes: A Poet Turns to Crime examines her work as a poet, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and critic as well as her family and personal relationships. Beginning with her upbringing in Kansas City, Missouri, Battistella follows the writer’s time studying journalism at the University of Missouri, her subsequent work as a newspaper reporter, the eventual publication of her first book, a volume of poetry, and her prolific output of mystery novels that spanned two decades. Battistella situates her work in the broader context of twentieth-century crime fiction and its connection to various political and social movements, including her life-long concern with racial equality, which culminated in the 1963 publication of her final novel, The Expendable Man, which appeared at the height of the Civil Rights movement and is considered by many to be her best work. In addition to drawing from Hughes’s own work and its reception by contemporary critics, Battistella examines later critical commentaries, scholarly articles, published interviews, archival material, and interviews with friends and family to tell her life story and literary legacy. More importantly, Battistella provides insights into why Dorothy B. Hughes still matters today, making his new work an important contribution to the history of popular culture and literary history.