Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer, known for her
psychological thrillers, which led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her first novel,
Strangers on a Train, has been adapted for stage and screen numerous times, notably by
Alfred Hitchcock in 1951. She wrote 22 novels, including her series of five novels with
Tom Ripley as protagonist, and many
short stories.
Michael Dirda observed, "Europeans honored her as a psychological novelist, part of an
existentialist tradition represented by her own favorite writers, in particular
Dostoyevsky,
Conrad,
Kafka,
Gide, and
Camus."