JAMES M. CAIN
James M. Cain was born in Annapolis on July 1, 1892. He was raised in
Chestertown, Maryland, and graduated from Washington College, where his father
was president. After serving in World War I, he returned to Baltimore where he
began working as a reporter. He first worked for the Baltimore American and then
for the Baltimore Sun until 1923. After a time in New York, Cain moved to
Hollywood. There he tried screenwriting, but found greater success when he
turned to fiction. His first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, was
published in 1934 and was a runaway bestseller. Cain returned to Maryland in
1948, settling in Hyattsville. He continued to write and was a familiar figure
on the College Park campus. James M. Cain died October 27th, 1977.
Cain did not write mysteries or detective fiction; he wrote novels of crime, sex
and violence. The majority of Cain's plots follow the same predictable plan: a
man falls for a woman, becomes involved in criminal activity with the woman, and
is eventually betrayed by the woman. Although predictable, this basic plot line
was used to great success, and continues to be serviceable today -- such as in
the Cain-inspired films Body Heat or Blood Simple. Cain's writing style is hard
boiled, pared down to essential phrases with terse, almost brutal simplicity.
The University of Maryland's James M. Cain collection is one of its treasures.
All of the hardbacks are first editions, and all have been inscribed by the
author. The department is attempting to build a comprehensive collection of
Cain, including paperback reprints (some of which are displayed in this
exhibit), to demonstrate the continued popularity of this great Maryland writer.
James M. Cain was born in Annapolis on July 1, 1892. He was raised in
Chestertown, Maryland, and graduated from Washington College, where his father
was president. After serving in World War I, he returned to Baltimore where he
began working as a reporter. He first worked for the Baltimore American and then
for the Baltimore Sun until 1923. After a time in New York, Cain moved to
Hollywood. There he tried screenwriting, but found greater success when he
turned to fiction. His first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, was
published in 1934 and was a runaway bestseller. Cain returned to Maryland in
1948, settling in Hyattsville. He continued to write and was a familiar figure
on the College Park campus. James M. Cain died October 27th, 1977.
Cain did not write mysteries or detective fiction; he wrote novels of crime, sex
and violence. The majority of Cain's plots follow the same predictable plan: a
man falls for a woman, becomes involved in criminal activity with the woman, and
is eventually betrayed by the woman. Although predictable, this basic plot line
was used to great success, and continues to be serviceable today -- such as in
the Cain-inspired films Body Heat or Blood Simple. Cain's writing style is hard
boiled, pared down to essential phrases with terse, almost brutal simplicity.
The University of Maryland's James M. Cain collection is one of its treasures.
All of the hardbacks are first editions, and all have been inscribed by the
author. The department is attempting to build a comprehensive collection of
Cain, including paperback reprints (some of which are displayed in this
exhibit), to demonstrate the continued popularity of this great Maryland writer.