Andrew Klavan
Encyclopedia
Andrew Klavan, is an American
author
and screenwriter
of "tough-guy" mysteries
and psychological thriller
s. Two of Klavan's books have been adapted into motion pictures: True Crime
(1999) and Don't Say A Word
(2001). He has been nominated for the Edgar Award
four times and has won twice. Playwright and novelist Laurence Klavan is his brother.
. His father was Gene Klavan
, a New York City
disk jockey and one-half of the radio show "Klavan and Finch." He grew up on Long Island
with his three brothers. He was raised in the Jewish tradition by his parents, but he did not believe in any of the tenets of the faith
and later said that he felt "dishonesty" and "shame" pretending to do so. He became an agnostic shortly after his Bar mitzvah. He later converted to Christianity.
He attended the University of California, Berkeley
, where he met his future wife, Ellen Flanagan. He dropped out of school temporarily to work in local radio news. He then worked as a reporter for a small Putnam County, New York
newspaper
, as a reader for Columbia Pictures
, and as a news writer for both WOR Radio
and the ABC Radio Network. At this time, he self-identified as a liberal while opposing some policies, such as Affirmative Action
.
, where he worked as a reporter for a local newspaper. His experience covering local crime later formed the basis for his novel Corruption.
After Face of the Earth was published, Klavan returned to New York, where he took a series of jobs (as a script reader
for Columbia Pictures and a news writer for WOR Radio and ABC Radio Networks) while writing mysteries and freelance book reviews. During this time he wrote The Scarred Man using the pseudonym Keith Peterson. Klavan's book, The Rain, won an Edgar Award
for Best Original Paperback.
He also began to write supernatural thrillers, publishing such novels as The Animal Hour, Don't Say A Word
— which was also nominated for an Edgar — and Corruption, and wrote the screenplay for the film version of Simon Brett
's novel A Shock to the System
.
Klavan and his family then moved to London
, where he wrote True Crime
, and two other novels. After seven years, he moved back to the United States, settling in Santa Barbara, California
, where he completed the novel Man and Wife (currently in motion picture development), and wrote his Weiss/Bishop trilogy: Dynamite Road, Shotgun Alley, and Damnation Street.
In 2008, he released a war-on-terror political novel, Empire of Lies. In 2009, he published The Last Thing I Remember, a thriller aimed at young adults.
Klavan has been a regular contributor of short video commentaries under the general title "Klavan on Culture", posted at PJTV.com
. He also became a contributor to the center-right social networking and blogging Web site Ricochet.com on May 17, 2010.
" are the victims of discrimination
in Hollywood
. In his view, people in the American arts
are not fulfilling their inherent role of "speaking truth to power," since they are not willing to criticize those of the Left in power. In July 2008, he likened George W. Bush
to Batman
in The Dark Knight
, starting with their public vilification. The article set off a firestorm of criticism.
Klavan has said,
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
of "tough-guy" mysteries
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
and psychological thriller
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
s. Two of Klavan's books have been adapted into motion pictures: True Crime
True Crime (1999 film)
True Crime is a 1999 American mystery drama film directed by Clint Eastwood, and based on Andrew Klavan's 1997 novel of the same name. Eastwood also stars in the film as a journalist covering the execution of a death row inmate, only to discover that the convict may actually be innocent.-Plot:Steve...
(1999) and Don't Say A Word
Don't Say a Word
Don't Say a Word is a 2001 psychological thriller film starring Michael Douglas, Brittany Murphy and Sean Bean based on the novel of the same title by Andrew Klavan...
(2001). He has been nominated for the Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
four times and has won twice. Playwright and novelist Laurence Klavan is his brother.
Early life
Klavan was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His father was Gene Klavan
Gene Klavan
Gene Klavan , was an American disc-jockey columnist and author.-Early years:Klavan was born in Baltimore, Md. and attended Baltimore City College . His radio career began at WTOP in Washington D.C...
, a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
disk jockey and one-half of the radio show "Klavan and Finch." He grew up on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
with his three brothers. He was raised in the Jewish tradition by his parents, but he did not believe in any of the tenets of the faith
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and later said that he felt "dishonesty" and "shame" pretending to do so. He became an agnostic shortly after his Bar mitzvah. He later converted to Christianity.
He attended the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he met his future wife, Ellen Flanagan. He dropped out of school temporarily to work in local radio news. He then worked as a reporter for a small Putnam County, New York
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, as a reader for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, and as a news writer for both WOR Radio
WOR (AM)
WOR is a class A , AM radio station located in New York, New York, U.S., operating on 710 kHz. The station has a talk format and has been owned by Buckley Broadcasting since 1987, after the station was sold by RKO. The station has conservative, or right-of-center hosts.Its call letters have no...
and the ABC Radio Network. At this time, he self-identified as a liberal while opposing some policies, such as Affirmative Action
Affirmative action in the United States
In the United States, affirmative action refers to equal opportunity employment measures that Federal contractors and subcontractors are legally required to adopt. These measures are intended to prevent discrimination against employees or applicants for employment, on the basis of "color,...
.
Career
Klavan wrote his first novel, Face of the Earth, in 1977. He then moved to Putnam County, New YorkPutnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
, where he worked as a reporter for a local newspaper. His experience covering local crime later formed the basis for his novel Corruption.
After Face of the Earth was published, Klavan returned to New York, where he took a series of jobs (as a script reader
Script coverage
Script coverage is a filmmaking term for the analysis and grading of screenplays, often within the "script development" department of a production company....
for Columbia Pictures and a news writer for WOR Radio and ABC Radio Networks) while writing mysteries and freelance book reviews. During this time he wrote The Scarred Man using the pseudonym Keith Peterson. Klavan's book, The Rain, won an Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for Best Original Paperback.
He also began to write supernatural thrillers, publishing such novels as The Animal Hour, Don't Say A Word
Don't Say a Word
Don't Say a Word is a 2001 psychological thriller film starring Michael Douglas, Brittany Murphy and Sean Bean based on the novel of the same title by Andrew Klavan...
— which was also nominated for an Edgar — and Corruption, and wrote the screenplay for the film version of Simon Brett
Simon Brett
Simon Brett is a prolific writer of whodunnits. The son of a chartered surveyor, he was educated at Dulwich College and Wadham College, Oxford, where he got a first-class honours degree in English...
's novel A Shock to the System
A Shock to the System
A Shock to the System is a U.S. comedy crime thriller film directed by Jan Egleson, starring Michael Caine, Swoosie Kurtz, Elizabeth McGovern, and Peter Riegert...
.
Klavan and his family then moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he wrote True Crime
True crime
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
, and two other novels. After seven years, he moved back to the United States, settling in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, where he completed the novel Man and Wife (currently in motion picture development), and wrote his Weiss/Bishop trilogy: Dynamite Road, Shotgun Alley, and Damnation Street.
In 2008, he released a war-on-terror political novel, Empire of Lies. In 2009, he published The Last Thing I Remember, a thriller aimed at young adults.
Klavan has been a regular contributor of short video commentaries under the general title "Klavan on Culture", posted at PJTV.com
Pajamas Media
PJ Media is a media company that uses the Internet to present and comment on the news.Founded in 2004 by a network primarily, but not exclusively, made up of conservatives and libertarians led by mystery writer, screenwriter, and blogger Roger L...
. He also became a contributor to the center-right social networking and blogging Web site Ricochet.com on May 17, 2010.
Political philosophy
Identifying himself as a conservative, Klavan has expressed the view that "rightistsRight-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
" are the victims of discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
in Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
. In his view, people in the American arts
Culture of the United States
The Culture of the United States is a Western culture originally influenced by European cultures. It has been developing since long before the United States became a country with its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore...
are not fulfilling their inherent role of "speaking truth to power," since they are not willing to criticize those of the Left in power. In July 2008, he likened George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
in The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (film)
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
, starting with their public vilification. The article set off a firestorm of criticism.
Klavan has said,
Filmography
- White of the Eye (film)White of the Eye (film)White of the Eye is a 1987 British thriller film directed by Donald Cammell and starring David Keith and Cathy Moriarty. It was adapted in film by Donald Cammell and his wife China Kong from the novel Mrs. White, written by Laurence and Andrew Klavan....
(1987) - A Shock to the Call (2008) (Screenplay)
External links
- Klavan, Andrew Crime Time Interview
- Apuzzo, Jason. Liberty Film Festival http://www.libertyfilmfestival.com/libertas/?p=2437
- Curtis, Brian. "Do You Fear Me Now?" SlateSlate (magazine)Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
, February 2006 - Klavan, Andrew. "Clinton Doth Protest Too Much." Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, September 2006