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Lawrence Block

ローレンス・ブロック

Rorensu Burokku

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1938-06-24 （Buffalo, New York, USA）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Born in Buffalo, New York → Long-time resident of New York City

Career

Occupations
novelist, screenwriter
Active Years
1960-
Influenced By
Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ross Macdonald
Influenced
Dennis Lehane

Awards

Shamus Award
Work: Eight Million Ways to Die
Category: 最優秀長篇賞
Organization: Private Eye Writers of America
Result: winner
Shamus Award
Work: The Devil Knows You're Dead
Category: 最優秀長篇賞
Organization: Private Eye Writers of America
Result: winner
Edgar Award (Best Novel)
Work: A Dance at the Slaughterhouse
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Mystery Writers of America (MWA)
Result: winner
MWA Grandmaster
1994
Category: 生涯功労
Organization: Mystery Writers of America (MWA)
Result: winner
PWA Lifetime Achievement Award
2002
Category: 生涯功労
Organization: Private Eye Writers of America
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Eight Million Ways to Die

1982 hardboiled/crime fiction

A hardboiled novel featuring ex-cop Matthew Scudder; set in New York, it explores crime and redemption.

crimeredemptionloneliness
Adaptations
  • [film] 8 Million Ways to Die / Hal Ashby (1986)
Translations
  • Translated into Japanese by Toshiki Taguchi

A Dance at the Slaughterhouse

1991 mystery/hardboiled

Another Matthew Scudder novel featuring a complex crime entwined with the protagonist's inner struggles.

violenceethicsredemption

A Walk Among the Tombstones

1992 hardboiled/crime fiction

A story involving kidnapping and revenge; later adapted into a well-known film.

revengemoral conflict
Adaptations
  • [film] A Walk Among the Tombstones / Scott Frank (2014)

Burglars Can't Be Choosers

1977 humorous detective/series

One entry in the Burglar Bernie series; notable for its light tone and crime-centered plots.

crimehumorcharacter study
Adaptations
  • [film (related)] Burglar (1987)

Bibliography

  • Eight Million Ways to Die
  • A Dance at the Slaughterhouse
  • A Walk Among the Tombstones
  • Burglars Can't Be Choosers
  • Telling Lies for Fun & Profit

Adaptations

  • A Walk Among the Tombstones → film (2014)
  • Eight Million Ways to Die → film (1986)
  • Burglar (1987) — related to Burglar series

Style & Themes

Literary Style
hardboilednoirdialogue-driven, realistic depiction
Recurring Motifs
crimeatonementlonelinessNew York cityscape

Legacy

Lawrence Block is a prominent American writer of detective and hardboiled fiction from the late 20th century into the 21st. He is widely lauded for his series and short stories, received the MWA Grandmaster honor, and has seen several works adapted to film.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of America (MWA)
  • Private Eye Writers of America (PWA)

In Popular Culture

  • A Walk Among the Tombstones was adapted into a 2014 film and reached wider audiences through its cinematic release.
  • The Burglar Bernie series has been showcased in translations and related film adaptations as light-toned crime fiction.

Trivia

  • Telling Lies for Fun & Profit is both a how-to and a reflection on writing for entertainment.
  • Received the MWA Grandmaster award in 1994.
  • Several works have been adapted for film (e.g., A Walk Among the Tombstones, 2014).
  • Many Japanese translations were done by Toshiki Taguchi.