Battistella’s new book available next month

Emeritus SOU professor Edwin Battistella has written a new literary biography that weaves a discussion of Dorothy B. Hughes’ literary output with the story of her life. “Dorothy B. Hughes: A Poet Turns to Crime,” examines her work as a poet, journalist, novelist, screenwriter and critic, as well as her family and personal relationships.

Hughes (1904-1995) is best known as a crime fiction author and was hailed by critics and fans as “The Queen of Noir” and “a prescient feminist.” She challenged the conventions of the crime fiction genre by exploring race, class and social justice across her 14 novels, which were written in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Hughes lived for many years in Santa Fe and Hollywood before moving to Ashland in 1988. Hughes was an award-winning poet, one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of American and later served on the board of the Screen Writers Guild during the McCarthy era.

Her most famous works, “The Fallen Sparrow,” “Ride the Pink Horse” and “In a Lonely Place,” were made into Hollywood films, the last one featuring Humphrey Bogart as an angry Hollywood writer past his prime.

“She had a fascinating life, and he writing was before its time in the noir genre and in the publishing world,” Battistella said.

His new biography of Hughes, published by the University of Missouri Press, will be available at bookstores in December.

Theodore Martin, of the University of California, called the book “a valuable and long-overdue project” and writer Nancy Pickard says that the book “not only does her justice but plants her in the honored spot where she has long deserved to be.”

Battistella is the author of several previous books, including “Bad Language,” “Sorry About That” and “Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels.” He is a two-time Oregon Book Award finalist.

He taught linguistics and writing at SOU for nearly 22 years before his retirement four years ago. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers College and his master’s degree and doctorate in linguistics from the City University of New York.