Origins & Early Life

James Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892 – October 27, 1977) was an American novelist, journalist and screenwriter. He is widely regarded as a progenitor of the hardboiled school of American crime fiction. His novels The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934), Double Indemnity (1936), Serenade (1937), Mildred Pierce (1941) and The Butterfly (1947) brought him critical acclaim and an immense popular readership in America and abroad. Though Cain never delivered a successful Hollywood screenplay, several of his novels were made into highly regarded films, among them Double Indemnity (1944), Mildred Pierce (1945) and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 1970, Cain became one of the Edgar Awards' Grand Masters. He continued to write and publish novels into his eighties. A number of his works were issued posthumously, including The Cocktail Waitress (2012). Cain's paternal and maternal grandparents emigrated from Ireland and both families settled in New Haven, Connecticut during the early 1850s. Cain reported they were not agrarian refugees of the Great Famine of Ireland.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

His paternal grandfather P. W. Cain was an industrial worker who served as a superintendent for the Hartford...

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