Lilian Jackson Braun

Author profile

born

June 20, 1913 in Willimansette, Chicopee Falls, Massachachusetts, The United States

died

June 04, 2011

gender

female

genre

Mystery & Thrillers

About this author

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Lilian Jackson Braun was an American writer. She is well-known for her light-hearted series of The Cat Who... mystery novels. The Cat Who books center around the life of former newspaper reporter James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum in the fictitious small town of Pickax located in Moose County, "400 miles north of everywhere." Although never formally stated in the books, the towns, counties and lifestyles described in the series are generally accepted to be a modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan (located in the "Michigan Thumb") where she resided with her husband for many years until the mid 1980's. Many also believe that the culture and history of the Upper peninsula of Michigan are represented in the series as well, whi...more Lilian Jackson Braun was an American writer. She is well-known for her light-hearted series of The Cat Who... mystery novels. The Cat Who books center around the life of former newspaper reporter James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum in the fictitious small town of Pickax located in Moose County, "400 miles north of everywhere." Although never formally stated in the books, the towns, counties and lifestyles described in the series are generally accepted to be a modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan (located in the "Michigan Thumb") where she resided with her husband for many years until the mid 1980's. Many also believe that the culture and history of the Upper peninsula of Michigan are represented in the series as well, which is quite possible as it is indeed a fictitious location.

Lilian Jackson Braun began her writing career as a teenager, contributing sports poetry for the Detroit News. She later began working as an advertising copywriter for many of Detroit's department stores. After that stint, she worked at the Detroit Free Press as the "Good Living" editor for 30 years. She retired from the Free Press in 1978.

Between 1966 and 1968, she published three novels to critical acclaim: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern and The Cat Who Turned On and Off. In 1966, The New York Times labeled Braun, "the new detective of the year." The rising mystery author disappeared from the publishing scene for 18 years. The blame came from the fact that mystery novels were starting to focus on sex, violence, and foul language, and Braun's light-hearted books were not welcome in this new territory. It wasn't until 1986 that the Berkley Publishing Group reintroduced Braun to the public with the publication of an original paperback, The Cat Who Saw Red. Within two years, Berkeley released four new novels in paperback and reprinted the three mysteries from the sixties. Braun's series became an instant best seller once again. In January 2007 the twenty-ninth novel in the series, The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers, was released in hardcover by the Penguin Group.

Not much was really known about Braun, as she prefered to keep her private life that way. For years, publishers have given inaccurate accounts of her year of birth, which has remained unknown until she openly acknowledged her age in an interview for the Detroit News in January 2005.

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combine editions
Books by Lilian Jackson Braun

Average rating: 3.72 · 73,183 ratings · 2,686 reviews · 51 distinct works

	The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (Cat Who..., #1) 3.72 avg rating — 7,221 ratings — published 1966 — 32 editions	My rating:
	The Cat Who Saw Red (Cat Who..., #4) 3.77 avg rating — 3,283 ratings — published 1986	My rating:
	The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (Cat Who..., #2) 3.76 avg rating — 3,305 ratings — published 1967 — 21 editions	My rating:
	The Cat Who Played Brahms (Cat Who..., #5) 3.77 avg rating — 2,889 ratings — published 1987 — 18 editions	My rating:
	The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare (Cat Who..., #7) 3.75 avg rating — 2,968 ratings — published 1988 — 11 editions	My rating:
	The Cat Who Sniffed Glue (Cat Who..., #8) 3.76 avg rating — 2,740 ratings — published 1988 — 19 editions	My rating:
	The Cat Who Played Post Office (Cat Who..., #6) 3.80 avg rating — 2,712 ratings — published 1987 — 18 editions	My rating:
	The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts (Cat Who..., #10) 3.78 avg rating — 2,593 ratings — published 1990 — 16 editions	My rating:
	The Cat Who Turned on and Off (Cat Who..., #3) 3.79 avg rating — 2,653 ratings — published 1968 — 19 editions	My rating:
	The Cat Who Moved a Mountain (Cat Who..., #13) 3.77 avg rating — 2,431 ratings — published 1991 — 26 editions	My rating:

More books by Lilian Jackson Braun…

Series by Lilian Jackson Braun

Cat Who... (30 books)
by Lilian Jackson Braun

3.72 avg rating — 70,221 ratings

Quotes by Lilian Jackson Braun

“Dogs have their day but cats have 365.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who... Omnibus 02 (Books 4-6): The Cat Who Saw Red / The Cat Who Played Brahms / The Cat Who Played Post Office

tags: cats , dogs , funny

104 people liked it

“Cats are cats . . . the world over!
These intelligent, peace-loving, four-footed friends- who are without prejudice, without hate, without greed- may someday teach us something.
-James Mackintosh Qwilleran”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Saw Stars

tags: cats

35 people liked it

“Beware of the clever ones; the dumb ones are safer.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern

19 people liked it

See all Lilian Jackson Braun's quotes »

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