Lawrence Block
Bio
On June 24th, 1938, Lawrence was born in Buffalo, New York. He attended Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio, from 1955 until 1959. He married Loretta Ann Kallett in 1960 and went on on to have three daughters. The marriage lasted thirteen years, until their divorce in 1973. Ten years later, he married Lynne Wood, an artist. He currently lives with Lynne in New York.
Lawrence published his first story in Manhunt magazine, in 1957. He has created several very popular series, each with very different characters. Matthew Scudder is an alcoholic private investigator; Bernie Rhodenbarr is an easy-going burglar; Keller is an troubled assassin; Chip Harrison is a sex-crazed teenager; Evan Tanner is a war veteran and spy; and Martin Ehrengraf is a criminal lawyer who boasts never having lost a case. He has also written a number of non-series books.
Over the years he has written under a variety of pseudonyms, including Chip Harrison, Paul Kavanagh, William Ard, Jill Emerson, Sheldon Lord and Andrew Shaw. Early on, Lawrence wrote erotica (both lesbian and otherwise) under several of his pseudonyms (Shaw, Lord and Emerson).
Quality does not suffer with quantity; Lawrence has written a very large number of books which are quite popular. He is most known for his works of fiction, but he has also written a number of non-fiction books, and worked as a columnist for Writer's Digest magazine.
He has earned every major mystery writing award - some several times over. These awards include the Nero Wolf award, Shamus award and the Edgar Allan Poe award. He is a Grandmaster of the Mystery Writers of America.
Bibliography
Matthew Scudder Series:
All the Flowers are Dying (2005)
Hope to Die (2001)
Everybody Dies (1998)
Even the Wicked (1997)
A Long Line of Dead Men (1994)
The Devil Knows You're Dead (1993)
A Walk Among the Tombstones (1992)
A Dance At The Slaughterhouse (1991)
A Ticket to the Boneyard (1990)
Out On The Cutting Edge (1989)
When The Sacred Ginmill Closes (1986)
Eight Million Ways to Die (1982)
A Stab in the Dark (1981)
Time To Murder and Create (1976)
In the Midst of Death (1976)
The Sins of the Fathers (1976)
Bernie Rhodenbarr Series:
The Burglar on the Prowl (2004)
The Burglar in the Rye (1999)
The Burglar In The Library (1997)
The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart (1995)
The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams (1994)
The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian (1983)
The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza (1980)
The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling (1979)
The Burglar in the Closet (1978)
Burglars Can't be Choosers (1977)
Keller Series:
Hit List (2000)
Hit Man (1998)
Chip Harrison and Leo Haig Series:
Chip Harrison appeard in the first two novels as a teenager obsessed with losign his virginity. These novels were funny non-mysteries. The next two novels were mysteries - Chip became an assistant to Leo Haig, a private investigator.
The Topless Tulip Caper (1975)
Make Out with Murder (1974)
Chip Harrison Scores Again (1971)
No Score (1970)
Evan Tanner Series:
Tanner on Ice (1998)
Me Tanner, You Jane (1970)
Tanner's Tiger (1968)
Here Comes A Hero (1968)
Two For Tanner (aka The Scoreless Thai) (1968)
Tanner's Twelve Swingers (1967)
The Cancelled Czech (1966)
The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep (1966)
Other Novels:
Lawrence Block wrote quite a few other novels. For a full list, see here.
Non-Fiction Books:
Spider, Spin Me a Web (1987)
Write for Your Life (1986)
Telling Lies for Fun and Profit (1981)
Writing the Novel From Plot To Print (1979)
Short Stories:
Countless short stories, some featuring the same characters that appear in his novels.
Links
Lawrence Block's Official Site
Book Reporter - Profile and Interviews
January Magazine - Interview