Dashiell Hammett

An item at American Writers Museum

In 1923, Black Mask magazine featured a short story by Dashiell Hammett that introduced the Continental Op, a nameless private investigator. Cynical and world-weary, the Continental Op growled his way through many more short stories and two novels, coming to define the hard boiled detective.

To create the Continental Op and fellow private eye Sam Spade-the main character in The Maltese Falcon (1929) -Hammett drew upon his own experiences as an operative for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. He based another memorable character, Nora Charles of The Thin Man (1933), on playwright Lillian Hellman, his romantic partner for over 30 years.

AMERICAN VOICES

An exhibit at American Writers Museum

American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.

This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.

American Writers Museum