Donald McNutt Douglass

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Donald McNutt Douglass (born December 7, 1899 in Houston , Texas , † September 1971 ), born Donald Edwin McNutt , was a full-time American architect and crime writer.

The three "Inselromane" McNutt Douglass', whose setting is the Caribbean, were last published in the German-language edition by Ullstein Verlag , but are now only available in antiquarian versions.

Life

He was born the son of Lillian Ella Lou "Lillie" Pollock (born November 12, 1873) and John Edwin McNutt. His father was a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in Effingham, Illinois. Douglass studied at Yale University and spent a year in France and Italy. He then worked for several years in architecture offices and as a graphic designer for magazines. Shortly after his marriage, he went on a one-year study trip to Germany with his wife. He then started his own construction company.

Between 1955 and 1961 Donald McNutt Douglass wrote three detective novels: the first of these novels was Rebecca's Pride , which was awarded the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1957 for best first novel by an American author , or Edgar for short , one of the most important prizes for detective stories Works in the USA.

The focus of the three McNutt Douglass novels is the black police captain Bolivar Manchenil. Manchenil is over 50 years old, 192 cm tall, weighs 300 pounds, has 10 children with his wife Millie and is on duty on Sint Maarten in the Caribbean . In the novel Mann über Bord Manchenil becomes a police major b

promoted, but has to leave his island. In the last of the three novels, Saba's Treasure , the story is portrayed from the perspective of the newly introduced young Manchenil employee: Lieutenant Sabastian Saba Fugaros. Until then, Captain Bolivar Manchenil is the first-person narrator in the first two novels.

One of the greatest admirers of McNutt Douglass' work was Rex Stout , the author of the Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin novels. Stout called Captain Manchenil one of the best detectives he knew.

It is said that McNutt Douglass tried to write an anti-religious book about religions; this manuscript is believed to exist but has never been published.

Awards

Novels and other publications

  • 1954 Ghost of Greenwich Village , Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , Volume 23, No. 123, February 1954
  • 1955 The Perfectionist , Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, No. 143, October 1955
  • 1956 Don't argue with the Captain , Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, No. 149, April 1956
  • 1956 Rebecca's Pride , Harper & Brothers - Calypso Song , German by Paul Baudisch, Goldmann Verlag, 1958 and in the new edition Yankee go home , German by Gisela Stege, Rowohlt Verlag, Reinbek 1974; ISBN 3-499-42308-1 , as well as Rebeccas Stolz , Verlag Ullstein GmbH, 1987, ISBN 3-548-10495-9
  • 1958 Many Brave Hearts , Harper & Brothers - Mann über Bord , German by Maria Dessauer, Verlag Ullstein GmbH, 1962 and 1988; ISBN 3-548-10516-5
  • 1961 Saba's Treasure , Harper & Brothers - Sabas Schatz , Verlag Ullstein GmbH, German by Gabriele Kunstmann; ISBN 3-548-10534-3

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilhelm Goldmann (Hrsg.): Lexicon of Goldmann pocket books . tape 1000 . Goldmann Verlag, Munich 1963, p. 106 .


personal data
SURNAME Douglass, Donald McNutt
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McNutt, Donald Edwin (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Full-time American architect and crime novel writer
DATE OF BIRTH December 7, 1899
PLACE OF BIRTH Houston , Texas
DATE OF DEATH September 1971