Chester Himes (1909–1984)
Author of A Rage in Harlem
About the Author
Chester B. Himes was born in Jefferson City, Missouri on July 29, 1909. He attended Ohio State University in Columbus, but was expelled his freshman year for a prank. He began writing short stories and having them published in national magazines such as Abbott's Monthly Magazine and Esquire while show more in prison for armed robbery. He was paroled after 8 years and eventually joined the Works Progress Administration, where he served as a writer with the Ohio Writers' Project. His first novel, If He Hollers Let Him Go, is about the fear, anger, and humiliation of a black employee at a racist defense plant during World War II and was published in 1945. He moved to Paris, France in the 1950s and then to Moraira, Spain in 1969. He was more popular in Europe than in the United States and primarily wrote about black protagonists plagued by white racism and self-hate. His other works include Lonely Crusade, Pinktoes, Black on Black, The Quality of Hurt, and My Life As Absurdity. He also wrote detective novels set in Harlem, New York City including Run Man, Run, The Real Cool Killers, and Blind Man with a Pistol. He won the 1958 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and the 1982 Columbus Foundation award. He died on November 12, 1984 from Parkinson's Disease. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Carl Van Vechten collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-54231]
Series
Works by Chester Himes
Associated Works
First Fiction: An Anthology of the First Published Stories by Famous Writers (1994) — Contributor — 183 copies
The Best Short Stories by Black Writers, 1899-1967: The Classic Anthology (1967) — Contributor — 175 copies
Calling the Wind: Twentieth Century African-American Short Stories (1992) — Contributor — 100 copies
Before Columbus Foundation Fiction Anthology: Selections from the American Book Awards 1980-1990 (1992) — Contributor — 66 copies
Black Noir: Mystery, Crime, and Suspense Fiction by African-American Writers (2009) — Contributor — 53 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Himes, Chester Bomar
- Birthdate
- 1909-07-29
- Date of death
- 1984-11-12
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Jefferson City, Missouri, USA
- Place of death
- Moraira, Spain
- Cause of death
- Parkinson's disease
- Places of residence
- Jefferson City, Missouri, USA
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA
Paris, France
Moraira, Spain - Education
- East High School
Ohio State University - Occupations
- writer
Members
Reviews
The Real Cool Killers (Penguin Modern Classics)… by Chester Himes
The Real Cool Killers is a police drama set in Harlem of the 1950s. A white man is found murdered and two of NYC's black detectives set out to solve the crime. The story itself is OK but the whole novel feels too dated to really enjoy in this day and age. it is also very violent.
½
Chester Himes created the perfect little world of 1960s Harlem in this book. Two black NYPD detectives with the nicknames of Coffin Ed and Gravedigger, which tells you a lot you need to know, investigate a reverend/swindler who’s taken $87k from people as part of a back-to-Africa scam.
Ed and Gravedigger are regular guys, family men, very brutal and very effective detectives. None of this seems contradictory. Although they work under white men they do it their way and are given allowances because white cops can’t do what they do in Harlem.
This is a well-written, fast-paced story with intricate plotting and great characters. I’ll look for others by Himes.… (more)
Ed and Gravedigger are regular guys, family men, very brutal and very effective detectives. None of this seems contradictory. Although they work under white men they do it their way and are given allowances because white cops can’t do what they do in Harlem.
This is a well-written, fast-paced story with intricate plotting and great characters. I’ll look for others by Himes.… (more)
“Every time he struggled to get out, he went in deeper.”
Good first chapter, even though I have no idea how that counterfeiting process (The Blow) works! Neither does Jackson, who the story is about. He gets taken by that con, and then gets bounced about the city, trying to get his money back.
Grave Digger and Coffin Ed enter the story on page 44 (of the copy I read). They “…weren’t crooked detectives, but they were tough. They had to be to work in Harlem.”
The “Sisters of Mercy” are humorous throughout! As is Imabelle’s “trunk full of gold ore”! It's a really enjoyable read, very well written! I definitely will check out the next one in the series! Now, to get MY ashes hauled…!
“Don’t make graves.”… (more)
Good first chapter, even though I have no idea how that counterfeiting process (The Blow) works! Neither does Jackson, who the story is about. He gets taken by that con, and then gets bounced about the city, trying to get his money back.
Grave Digger and Coffin Ed enter the story on page 44 (of the copy I read). They “…weren’t crooked detectives, but they were tough. They had to be to work in Harlem.”
The “Sisters of Mercy” are humorous throughout! As is Imabelle’s “trunk full of gold ore”! It's a really enjoyable read, very well written! I definitely will check out the next one in the series! Now, to get MY ashes hauled…!
“Don’t make graves.”… (more)
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Statistics
- Works
- 48
- Also by
- 20
- Members
- 5,329
- Popularity
- #4,671
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 107
- ISBNs
- 363
- Languages
- 11
- Favorited
- 17
