Facts about Patricia Highsmith
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Born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1921, Patricia Highsmith spent much of her adult life as an expatriate in Europe, settling permanently there in 1963.
- 12
Highsmith's extensive personal diaries, spanning decades and comprising over 8,000 pages, were sealed until 2021 and revealed her private struggles with identity, relationships, and creative obsessions.
- 11
Patricia Highsmith's 1962 psychological thriller The Two Faces of January marked her first novel to achieve major commercial success, becoming a bestseller across multiple European countries.
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Highsmith's unpublished novel about a woman murdering her husband remained in her estate archives until 2022, when it was discovered and titled Small g: A Summer Idyll posthumously.
- 09
During the 1970s and 1980s, Patricia Highsmith's novels experienced a significant revival in France and Europe, where she became more celebrated than in her native United States.
- 08
Highsmith's 1949 short story Plotting an Murder was rejected by numerous publishers before finally appearing in Harper's Magazine, establishing her early struggle for recognition.
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Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 film Strangers on a Train, adapted from Highsmith's 1950 debut novel, earned her only $500 in adaptation rights despite the movie's critical acclaim.
- 06
Highsmith's 1957 novel Deep Water introduced a married couple's arrangement to take separate lovers, exploring themes of infidelity that shocked 1950s readers.
- 05
Tom Ripley, the protagonist of Patricia Highsmith's most famous series, appeared in five novels between 1955 and 1974, becoming one of literature's most iconic antiheroes.
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Carol, Patricia Highsmith's 1952 novel about lesbian love, was originally published under the pseudonym Claire Morgan due to the book's controversial subject matter.
- 03
Snails were Patricia Highsmith's favorite animal, and she kept dozens of them in her homes throughout her life, even traveling with them across continents.
- 02
Over 50 years, Patricia Highsmith wrote 22 novels and numerous short stories while living in France, Switzerland, and Texas under deliberately reclusive conditions.
- 01
In 1955, Patricia Highsmith's debut novel The Talented Mr. Ripley sold only 3,288 copies in its first American printing.