Brian Garfield

Brian Francis Wynne Garfield (January 26, 1939 – December 29, 2018) was an American novelist, historian and screenwriter. A Pulitzer Prize finalist and Edgar Award recipient, he wrote his first published book at the age of 18. Garfield went on to author more than 70 books across a variety of genres, 19 of which were made into films or TV shows, and sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. His best-known works include Death Wish (1972), which launched a lucrative franchise when it was adapted into the 1974 film of the same title.

Early life Garfield was born in New York City, the son of George Garfield and Frances O'Brien, a portrait artist and friend of Georgia O'Keeffe. O'Keeffe had introduced the pair. He was the nephew of chorus dancer and stage manager Chester O'Brien, and a distant relative of Mark Twain. He graduated from Southern Arizona School for Boys in Tucson.

Career A guitarist, in the 1950s Garfield toured with a band called the Palisades, who released a single on the Calico label. He served in the U.S. Army and the Army Reserves from 1957 to 1965. He attended the University of Arizona, from which he received a bachelor's degree in English in 1959 and master's degree in English in 1963.

His first novel, Range Justice, written when he was eighteen, was published in 1960. By the end of the following decade, he had published sixty novels. Once he turned fifty, Garfield continued to publish, but at a less prolific rate.

In 1972 he published Death Wish, which was adapted into the film of the same title. Four movie sequels followed, all starring Charles Bronson in the lead role. Bruce Willis starred in a 2018 remake. Garfield was directly involved only in the original movie. He wrote a sequel, Death Sentence (1975), which was very loosely adapted into the 2007 film of the same name. While the film had a different storyline, it adopted the novel's critical perspective on vigilantism. Hopscotch, also published in 1975, won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. Garfield wrote the screenplay for the 1980 film adaptation starring Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson and Sam Waterston.

In 1970, Garfield was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History for The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians. His last book, published in 2007, was a critical biography of the controversial British intelligence officer Richard Meinertzhagen.

He and his wife Bina divided their time between their homes in Pasadena, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. They were supporters of Wildlife WayStation, an animal sanctuary in Southern California.

Death Garfield died at home in Pasadena in December 2018 at the age of 79. His wife said the cause was complications of Parkinson's disease.

Legacy John Grisham credited Garfield's 1973 Writer's Digest article "Ten Rules for Suspense Fiction" with "giving him the tools" to write his thrillers. When he died, Lawrence Block tweeted, “RIP Brian Garfield. Fine writer, friend for years”. In 2015, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Research Center in Santa Fe announced that Brian Garfield and his wife had given a gift of correspondence between O'Keeffe and Garfield's mother, Frances O'Brien, "that provides insight into the women's shared work ethic, their era and their sense of humor — and shows O'Keeffe's penchant for dashes in her informal notes. The gift includes letters, postcards, interviews and other materials from the 1940s to the 1970s that were collected by O'Brien".

Pen names

Bennett Garland Alex Hawk John Ives Drew Mallory Frank O'Brian Jonas Ward Brian Wynne Frank Wynne

Works Novels +Credited to Brian Garfield or Brian Wynne Garfield unless otherwise indicated. Year Title Author Credit Main Character(s) Notes1960Range JusticeTracy ChavisFirst novel set in fictional town of Spanish Flat, Arizona. Certain characters reappear in the Jeremy Six series. Abridged and reissued as Justice at Spanish Flat (1961).1961The ArizonansMassacre BasinFrank Wynne1962The Big SnowFrank WynneThe Rimfire MurdersFrank O'BrianContemporary mystery set in Spanish Flat.Arizona RiderFrank WynneThe LawbringersTrail Drive7 Brave MenBennett GarlandLancer and Magnum Books editions (1962) credited to Brian Garfield.1963Vultures in the SunApache CanyonJustin HarrisDragoon PassFrank WynneHigh StormBennett Garland1964The Last OutlawBennett GarlandMagnum Books edition (1964) credited to Brian Garfield.Rails WestFrank WynneMr. SixgunBrian WynneJeremy SixFirst appearance of Marshall Jeremy Six. Set in Spanish Flat, with some characters from Range Justice returning.Rio ConchoFrank WynneThe Vanquished1965Lynch Law CanyonFrank WynneThe Night It Rained BulletsBrian WynneJeremy Six1966Call Me HazardFrank WynneThe Lusty BreedFrank WynneFirst chapter set in Spanish Flat; Jeremy Six appears briefly.The Wolf PackFrank WynneThe Last BridgeBugle & SpurFrank O'BrianJustin HarrisLater editions credited to Brian Garfield.The BravosBrian WynneJeremy Six1967The Proud RidersBrian WynneJeremy Six, Tracy ChavisA Badge for a Badman Brian WynneJeremy Six, Tracy ChavisRio ChamaBennett Garland1968Brand of the GunBrian WynneJeremy SixBuchanan's GunJonas WardTom BuchananSeventh novel in the Tom Buchanan series. Other Buchanan novels were written by William Ard, William R. Cox, and Robert Silverberg (as Jonas Ward).Savage GunsAlex HawkArizonaBallantine Books edition (1969) credited to Frank O'Brian.1969GundownBrian WynneJeremy Six, Tracy ChavisFilmed in 1976 as The Last Hard Men. Not to be confused with later Gun Down written by Garfield. Big Country, Big MenBrian WynneJeremy SixFinal Jeremy Six novel written by Garfield. The last book in the series, Gunslick Territory (1973), was written by Dean Owen a.k.a. Dudley Dean McGaughey (as Brian Wynne).1970Valley of the ShadowSliphammerThe HitThe Villiers Touch1971What of Terry Conniston?Sweeny's HonorFirst publication in the U.K. (Coronet, 1974) credited to Frank Wynne.Gun DownReissued as The Last Hard Men as a tie-in to the film adaptation. First publication in the UK (Coronet, 1974) credited to Frank Wynne.Deep Cover1972Death WishPaul BenjaminBasis for the 1974 film (and its four sequels).RelentlessSam WatchmanBasis for the 1977 TV film.Line of Succession1973Kolchak's GoldGangway!Collaboration with Donald E. Westlake.Tripwire1974The Romanov SuccessionThe Threepersons HuntSam Watchman1975Death SentencePaul BenjaminBasis for the 2007 film Death Sentence (starring Kevin Bacon and directed by James Wan), which credits Garfield but does not follow the action of the novel. Hopscotch Winner of the Edgar Award (Best Novel of the Year). Basis for the 1980 Hopscotch (film). Certain characters reappear in the collection Checkpoint Charlie (1981).Act of Piracy Frank O'BrianTarget Manhattan Drew Mallory1977Recoil1978Fear in a Handful of Dust John IvesBasis for the 1984 film Fleshburn.Wild TimesBasis for the 1980 TV mini-series.1979The Marchand WomanJohn IvesThe PaladinCollaboration with Christopher Creighton.1984Necessity1989Manifest Destiny1990Cemetery Jones and the Tombstone WarCemetery JonesAfter author William R. Cox died, Garfield finished this novel (uncredited).2003The Hit and The MarksmanThe Hit was originally published in 1970. The Marksman is a novella based on an unproduced screenplay.

Short stories

Collections: Checkpoint Charlie (1981), collection of 12 short stories Suspended Sentences (1992), collection of 8 short stories

Non-fiction The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians (1969) Western Films: A Complete Guide (1982) The Meinertzhagen Mystery: The Life and Legend of a Colossal Fraud (2007)

Screenplays The Last Hard Men (1976) - Garfield did uncredited rewrites. Based on his novel Gun Down (1971). Hopscotch (1980) - Based on his novel. The Stepfather (1987) - Screenplay by Donald E. Westlake, based on a story by Garfield, Westlake, and Carolyn Lefcourt.

Brian Garfield

Bron en licentie