Obituary: James Sallis, writer

Writer James Sallis turned his hand to many trades. As well as penning his 18 novels, he was a translator, biographer, editor, musician and critic. He was best known as a crime writer and his best-known book, Drive (2005) was adapted into a movie which starred Ryan Gosling. Born in Arkansas, Sallis got his start in writing short stories for science fiction magazines. He then moved to England and co-edited the famed magazine New Worlds.

A trained respiratory therapist, Sallis kept up a prolific literary output while working in intensive care departments in several hospitals. His breakthrough as a crime writer came in 1992 with the release of The Long-Legged Fly, which introduced the private eye Lew Griffin — a character who starred in five more novels, which were praised for their novelty and unconventionality. While never enormously commercially successful, Sallis’ writing was greatly respected by peers and critics alike. He died on January 27 aged 81. — Agencies/Allied Media