About
An American detective novelist, he is best known for works such as The Canary Murder Case and The Greene Murder Case. He also had a career as an art critic.
Before Fame
At age twenty-one, he became the literary editor of the Los Angeles Times.
Trivia
An admirer of the naturalistic work of Theodore Dreiser, Van Dine wrote a novel that emulated Dreiser's literary style.
Family Life
He was born Willard Huntington Wright in Charlottesville, Virginia. He married Eleanor Rulapaugh in 1930.
Associated With
While working for the literary magazine The Smart Set, Van Dine published a short story by Joseph Conrad.
