Cain: The Biography of James M. Cain

by Roy Hoopes

“I never knew a writer who regarded [writing] as anything but a refined form of crucifixion.”—James M. Cain

 

Although Cain was formerly dismissed as merely a hardboiled writer, his finest works—The Postman Always Rings Twice, Mildred Pierce, and Double Indemnity—are now considered enduring classics of American literature.

 

In this book Roy Hoopes gives as full a picture of the man and his life as will ever be written. The work was awarded an “Edgar” by the Mystery Writers of America.

 

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

704 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 1987

Reviews

[Jeff]

As one of the founding fathers of hard-boiled fiction, Cain emerges here as an unexpectedly poignant figure. Hoopes had access not only to Cain's papers but to Cain himself, who by that time (the 1970s) was a broken man running out the clock in a depressing Maryland suburb. Their encounters resulted in a compellingly full portrait, from Cain's early days as H.L. Mencken's drinking buddy to his last days lunching with young admirers at Trader Vic's. Cain also made a mean mint julep, and took grave offense if any of his guests refused the one he invariably had waiting for them as they entered his house.

[Douglas Castagna]

I recently discovered James M Cain a few years ago, am slowly reading all of his work. The book fills in a lot of blanks and questions I have about a man that lived a long rich life and created some very important books that are still read to this very day. This book, Cain, tells the story of the man, his life and his work. Both the successes and the failures, and most importantly, his legacy.

[Guy Salvidge]

Overall, this is an interesting and exhaustive study of the life of James M. Cain. However, from the perspective of an interest in Cain's novels, I found this at times both too much (about things unrelated to writing) and not enough (on the novels themselves). Therefore I found myself skimming over sections at times.

[Marcia]

My family lived next door to James M Cain in University Park (Hyattsville) during the 60's and 70's. I remember his stories from his newspaper and Hollywood years well. This book is an extremely well researched and written book about one of America's lesser known great novelists.

[David]

An average read for people such as me who need to hunker down with a thick biography of a newly found writer, in this case, James M. Cain, while recovering from the shock and rage (still not recovered) at the 9/11 attacks. Something plodding and not too engrossing is what was needed.