Thomas Harris introduced the world to Hannibal Lecter, and pop culture would never be the same
By Bill Sheehan May 9 at 12:43 PM From time to time, a work of fiction appears that exerts a powerful influence on the culture of the day, generating admiration and imitation alike. After John le Carre published “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” in 1974, spy stories about the hunt for a Soviet mole proliferated.
That transformation began with the appearance in 1981 of “Red Dragon,” a crime novel unlike anything that had come before. Novels dealing with serial killers were certainly nothing new and include Ellery Queen’s “Cat of Many Tails” , Lawrence Sanders’s “The First Deadly Sin” and Shane Stevens’s masterful “By Reason of Insanity” . “Red Dragon” transcended them all.
Thanks in part to Jonathan Demme’s award-winning film, the scenes between the two — seductive, enigmatic, often chilling — have become a lasting part of American popular culture. This book, together with its predecessor, solidified Harris’s place as one of crime fiction’s most significant figures. On television, shows such as “Profiler,” “Touching Evil” and “Wire in the Blood” featured protagonists deeply attuned to the minds and motivations of violent criminals. Shows like “CSI,” with its intense focus on forensic detail, and “Criminal Minds,” with its serial killer of the week and emphasis on psychological profiling, are similarly indebted. In books, a number of gifted writers have absorbed Harris’s influence and produced memorable works of their own.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion | I asked Twitter to choose among the 21 Democrats. Here’s what I found.It was Harris then Warren or Warren then Harris. More often that not, I noticed a Harris-Warren-Biden troika.
Read more »
Kamala Harris on 'electability': Pundits have it all wrong about impact of gender, raceDemocratic presidential candidate Sen. Harris said on Tuesday she believes the 'pundits' have it wrong about the electability of women in the race.
Read more »
Sens. Harris and Warren are on a mission to curb high black maternity-related deathsSen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are highlighting the disproportionately high rates of pregnancy-related deaths among black women — an issue health care providers and lawmakers increasingly are flagging as a crisis.
Read more »
Kamala Harris assails Trump for hateful rhetoricKamala Harris is accusing President Trump of fueling sexism, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia
Read more »
Black moms are dying at higher rates; Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren call for changeOn the campaign trail, 2020 presidential hopefuls, Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are highlighting the disproportionately high rates of pregnancy-related deaths among black women — an issue health care providers and lawmakers increasingly are flagging as a crisis. 'I support these
Read more »
Analysis | Power Up: Kamala Harris, seeking to change her narrative, proposes relief for public defendersAnalysis: Kamala Harris, seeking to change her narrative, proposes relief for public defenders
Read more »
Sen. Kamala Harris launches bill to help public defendersHarris says the way the system exists right now is the 'opposite of justice.'
Read more »
Justice Clarence Thomas' moment may finally have arrivedWASHINGTON (AP) — Clarence Thomas has been a Supreme Court justice for nearly three decades. It may finally be his moment. Many Americans know Thomas largely from his bruising 1991...
Read more »