Rex Todhunter Stout (1886–1975) was an American writer best known for his Nero Wolfe detective fiction, featuring the brilliant but eccentric sleuth and his witty assistant, Archie Goodwin. His work shaped American mystery fiction, earning the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award (1959.)
Born in Noblesville, Indiana, Stout was a prodigious reader, completing the Bible twice by age four. He attended Topeka High School and the University of Kansas, later serving in the U.S. Navy (1906–08.) Before turning to fiction, he developed a school banking system that funded his early writing career.
Stout’s famous creation, Nero Wolfe, débuted in Fer-de-Lance (1934,) followed by 33 novels and 39 novellas. Notable works include The League of Frightened Men (1935,) Too Many Cooks (1938,) Some Buried Caesar (1939,) and In the Best Families (1950.) His final Wolfe novel, A Family Affair (1975,) appeared shortly before his death.
Beyond fiction, Stout was a public intellectual, serving as president of the Authors Guild and advocating civil liberties and world federalism. He led the Writers’ War Board during World War II, using literature to support the Allied cause.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Rex Stout
There are two kinds of statistics, the kind you look up, and the kind you make up.
—Rex Stout
Topics: Statistics
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