James Sallis has published seventeen novels, three books of musicology, multiple collections of short stories, poems, and essays, and translations of both prose and poetry. He's a recipient of the Hammett Prize for literary excellence in crime fiction, the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, the Deutsche Krimipreis, and the Brigada 21 in Spain, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from Bouchercon. Sallis is best known for his novel Drive, which was made into what's become an iconic film. His biography of Chester Himes was a NY Times Notable Book of the Year.
Praise for James Sallis Then there's James Sallis - he's right up there, one of the best. It is quite possible that speaking of Jim Sallis in the same tone as Poe and Dostoevski is not overblowing on my part. --Harlan Ellison James Sallis is one of our greatest living crime writers . . . Try to get his words, his stories, his people out of your head. Just try. --Laura Lippman One of the most enjoyable and most important writers working today, James Sallis has quietly revolutionized an entire genre of literature. If you don't ordinarily read crime fiction, you will love these books. if you do read crime fiction, you will never look at it the same after meeting Lew Griffith. --Sara Gran In addition to his masterly novels, Sallis is known for his work as a poet, and the lyrical beauty of his words shines through his pages. The story unfolds with the cadence of the down-home music that plays such an important part in the characters' lives, weaving stories from the past through the narrative of the present to create a harmonious melody. It's a crime that a writer this good isn't better known. --Chicago Sun-Times Sallis's treatment is minimalist, stylish, and all the more evocative for it. Essential noir existentialism. --The Guardian The power of simplicity and the musical ring of truth as only Sallis can deliver it--as he has done bravely, consistently, for the last few decades. --The Los Angeles Times