Dashiell Hammett (St. Mary's County, 1894 - New York, 1961) was born into a family of farmers, worked as a private detective in Baltimore, and participated in World War I, which left lasting effects on his health for the rest of his life. His passion for literature awakened in the early twenties, and he achieved fame during the Great Depression. An influential and admired novelist, between 1929 and 1934 he set aside his profession to engage in political activism: he joined anti-fascist movements and in 1937 became a member of the Communist Party of the United States, which led him to participate in World War II. He is the author of some of the finest noir novels ever written.
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