Vera Caspary | |
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| Born | Vera Louise Caspary November 13, 1899 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 13, 1987 (aged 87) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Screenwriter, novelist, playwright |
| Spouse | Isadore Goldsmith (1948–1964) his death |
Vera Louise Caspary (November 13, 1899 – June 13, 1987) was an American writer of novels, plays, screenplays, and short stories.
Her best-known novel, Laura, was made into a successful movie of the same title. Though generally classified as a mystery novelist, Caspary felt uncomfortable with classifying herself in the genre. Yet her novels effectively merged women's quest for identity and love with murder plots. Independence is the key to her protagonists, with her novels revolving around women who are menaced, but who turn out to be neither victimized nor rescued damsels.[1]
Following her father's death in 1924, the income from Caspary's writing was at times barely sufficient to support herself and her mother, and during the Great Depression she became interested in socialist causes. Caspary joined the Communist Party under an alias, but not being totally committed and at odds with its code of secrecy, she claimed to have confined her activities to fund-raising and hosting meetings.[2] Caspary visited Russia in an attempt to confirm her beliefs, but became disillusioned and wished to resign from the Party, although she continued to contribute money and support similar causes. She eventually married her lover and writing collaborator of six years, Isidor "Igee" Goldsmith; but despite this being a successful partnership, her Communist connections later led to her being "graylisted", temporarily yet significantly affecting their offers of work and income.[2] The couple split their time between Hollywood and Europe until Igee's death in 1964, after which Caspary remained in New York where she wrote a further eight books.[3]