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James M. Cain

Born

in Annapolis, Maryland, The United States

July 01, 1892

Died

October 27, 1977

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Literature & Fiction

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James Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892–October 27, 1977) was an American journalist and novelist. Although Cain himself vehemently opposed labeling, he is usually associated with the hard-boiled school of American crime fiction and seen as one of the creators of the "roman noir."

He was born into an Irish Catholic family in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a prominent educator and an opera singer. He inherited his love for music from his mother, but his high hopes of starting a career as a singer himself were thwarted when she told him that his voice was not good enough.

After graduating from Washington College where his father, James W. Cain served as president, in 1910, he began working as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun.

He was drafted into th ...more

Combine Editions
James M. Cain’s books

Average rating: 3.86 · 102,327 ratings · 9,357 reviews · 163 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Postman Always Rings Twice 3.75 avg rating — 50,847 ratings — published 1934 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Double Indemnity 4.05 avg rating — 29,447 ratings — published 1936 — 67 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mildred Pierce 3.93 avg rating — 11,110 ratings — published 1941 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cocktail Waitress 3.55 avg rating — 3,011 ratings — published 2012 — 31 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Postman Always Rings Twice / Double Indemnity / Mildred Pierce / Selected Stories by James M. Cain, Robert Polito (Editor) 4.19 avg rating — 1,336 ratings — published 1934 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Serenade 3.54 avg rating — 935 ratings — published 1937 — 79 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Butterfly 3.35 avg rating — 551 ratings — published 1947 — 41 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Baby in the Icebox and Other Short Fiction 3.72 avg rating — 281 ratings — published 1932 — 28 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Three by Cain: Serenade/Love's Lovely Counterfeit/The Butterfly 3.93 avg rating — 244 ratings — published 1989 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Love's Lovely Counterfeit 3.35 avg rating — 241 ratings — published 1942 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by James M. Cain (?)

“If your writing doesn't keep you up at night, it won't keep anyone else up either”
― James M. Cain

tags: james-m-cain, writing-craft

1465 likes

“Love, when you get fear in it, it's not love any more. It's hate.”
― James M. Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice

tags: fear, hate, love

125 likes

“You have to wait for your mind to catch up with whatever it is it’s working on; then you can write a novel.”
― James M. Cain

tags: advice, mind, novel, writting

76 likes

See all James M. Cain's quotes »

Polls

February 2018 Short Story Poll

The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway, 1952, 26 pages

56 votes, 17.3%

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, 1904, 96 pages

53 votes, 16.4%

White Nights by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1848, 82 pages

34 votes, 10.5%

Selected Poems by Emily Dickinson, 1890, 54 pages.

28 votes, 8.7%

Chess Story by Stefan Zweig, 1941, 104 pages

26 votes, 8.0%

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez, 120 pages. 1981

26 votes, 8.0%

Rear Window by Cornell Woolrich, 1942, 47 pages

25 votes, 7.7%

The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West, 1918, 82 pages

23 votes, 7.1%

The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving, 1824, 37 pages

19 votes, 5.9%

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, 1944, 48 pages

14 votes, 4.3%

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain, 1936, 115 pages

10 votes, 3.1%

The Eyes by Edith Wharton, 1910 48 pages

9 votes, 2.8%

323 total votes

9 comments

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James M. Cain’s Followers (899)

James M. Cain

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Combine Editions
James M. Cain’s books