S. S. Van Dine

S.S. Van Dine
Wright in the 1930s
Born
Willard Huntington Wright

October 15, 1888
Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
DiedApril 11, 1939 (aged 50)
New York City, U.S.
Known forArt criticism, Detective novels featuring Philo Vance
Spouse(s)Katharine Belle Boynton (1907–1930)[1]
Eleanor Rulapaugh, aka Claire De Lisle (1930–his death)
RelativesStanton Macdonald-Wright (brother)

S. S. Van Dine (also styled S.S. Van Dine)[2] is the pseudonym used by American art critic Willard Huntington Wright (October 15, 1888 – April 11, 1939) when he wrote detective novels. Wright was active in avant-garde cultural circles in pre-World War I New York, and under the pseudonym (which he originally used to conceal his identity) he created the fictional detective Philo Vance, a sleuth and aesthete who first appeared in books in the 1920s, then in films and on the radio.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Yardley1992 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "S.S. Van Dine". Goodreads. Retrieved 8 February 2014.