Elizabeth Sanxay Holding
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth Sanxay Holding (1889–1955) was an American novelist and short story
writer who primarily wrote detective novels in the hardboiled
school of detective fiction.
, New York
, Sanxay attended Miss Whitcombe’s and other schools for young ladies before marrying British diplomat George E. Holding in 1913. The couple had two daughters and traveled widely in South America
and the Caribbean
before living in Bermuda
for a number of years, where Mr. Holding was a government official. After Mr. Holding’s retirement, the couple lived in the Bronx section of New York City
, where Elisabeth Sanxay Holding died on February 7, 1955.
, one of the top writers of detective fiction during its golden age of 1920–1940, said of Holding that she was “the top suspense writer of them all.” http://www.starkhousepress.com/holding.html
Literary critic Anthony Boucher
wrote: “For subtlety, realistic conviction, incredible economy, she’s in a class by herself.” http://gadetection.pbwiki.com/The-Innocent-Mrs-Duff-by-Elizabeth-Sanxay-Holding?doneSave=1. Boucher also praised Holding's Miss Kelly as "one of those too-rare juvenile fantasies with delightful appeal to the adult connoisseur."
Holding's novel The Blank Wall (1947) was so popular in its day that it was made into a movie titled The Reckless Moment
in 1949. In 2001 it was made into the movie The Deep End
starring Tilda Swinton
. The novel was republished by Persephone Books
in 2003 and reprinted in 2009. A number of Holding’s books have also been brought back into reprint by Stark House Press and made available to a new group of readers.
Angelica (1921)
Rosaleen Among the Artists (1921)
The Unlit Lamp (1922)
Dark Power (1930)
The Death Wish (1934)
The Unfinished Crime (1935)
The Strange Crime in Bermuda (1937)
The Obstinate Murderer (1938) also published as No Harm Intended
The Girl Who Had To Die (1940)
Who's Afraid? (1940) also published as Trial By Murder
Speak of the Devil (1941)
Kill Joy (1942) also published as Murder is a Kill-Joy
Lady Killer (1942)
The Old Battle Ax (1943)
Net of Cobwebs (1945)
The Innocent Mrs. Duff (1946)
The Blank Wall (1947) Reprinted by Persephone Books
Too Many Bottles (1951) also published as The Party Was the Pay-Off
The Virgin Huntress (1951)
Widow's Mite (1953)
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer who primarily wrote detective novels in the hardboiled
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
school of detective fiction.
Life
Born June 18, 1889 in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Sanxay attended Miss Whitcombe’s and other schools for young ladies before marrying British diplomat George E. Holding in 1913. The couple had two daughters and traveled widely in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
before living in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
for a number of years, where Mr. Holding was a government official. After Mr. Holding’s retirement, the couple lived in the Bronx section of 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...
, where Elisabeth Sanxay Holding died on February 7, 1955.
Literary career
Elisabeth Sanxay Holding wrote romantic novels during the 1920s, but, after the stock market crash in 1929, she turned to the more lucrative genre of the detective novel. From 1929 through 1954, she wrote eighteen detective novels, which sold well and earned her significant praise for her style and character development. Her series character for these novels was Lieutenant Levy. Holding also wrote numerous short stories for popular magazines of the day.Critical reputation
Holding was much admired during her day. Raymond ChandlerRaymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
, one of the top writers of detective fiction during its golden age of 1920–1940, said of Holding that she was “the top suspense writer of them all.” http://www.starkhousepress.com/holding.html
Literary critic Anthony Boucher
Anthony Boucher
Anthony Boucher was an American science fiction editor and author of mystery novels and short stories. He was particularly influential as an editor. Between 1942 and 1947 he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle...
wrote: “For subtlety, realistic conviction, incredible economy, she’s in a class by herself.” http://gadetection.pbwiki.com/The-Innocent-Mrs-Duff-by-Elizabeth-Sanxay-Holding?doneSave=1. Boucher also praised Holding's Miss Kelly as "one of those too-rare juvenile fantasies with delightful appeal to the adult connoisseur."
Holding's novel The Blank Wall (1947) was so popular in its day that it was made into a movie titled The Reckless Moment
The Reckless Moment
The Reckless Moment is a film noir melodrama directed by Max Ophüls, produced by Walter Wanger, and released by Columbia Pictures with Burnett Guffey as cinematographer. Starring Joan Bennett and James Mason, the film is based on The Blank Wall , a novel written by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding...
in 1949. In 2001 it was made into the movie The Deep End
The Deep End (film)
The Deep End is a 2001 film that was written and directed by David Siegel and Scott McGehee. It stars Tilda Swinton, Goran Visnjic, Jonathan Tucker and Josh Lucas and was released by Fox Searchlight Pictures. The film was very loosely adapted from the novel The Blank Wall by Elizabeth Sanxay...
starring Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton
Katherine Mathilda "Tilda" Swinton is a British actress known for both arthouse and mainstream films. She has appeared in a number of films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, The Beach, We Need to Talk About Kevin and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her...
. The novel was republished by Persephone Books
Persephone Books
Persephone Books is an independent publisher based in Bloomsbury, London. Founded in 1999 by Nicola Beauman, Persephone has a catalogue of 93 "neglected novels, diaries, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, biography and cookery books, mostly by women and mostly dating from the early to...
in 2003 and reprinted in 2009. A number of Holding’s books have also been brought back into reprint by Stark House Press and made available to a new group of readers.
Romances
Invincible Minnie (1920)Angelica (1921)
Rosaleen Among the Artists (1921)
The Unlit Lamp (1922)
Detective novels
Miasma (1929)Dark Power (1930)
The Death Wish (1934)
The Unfinished Crime (1935)
The Strange Crime in Bermuda (1937)
The Obstinate Murderer (1938) also published as No Harm Intended
The Girl Who Had To Die (1940)
Who's Afraid? (1940) also published as Trial By Murder
Speak of the Devil (1941)
Kill Joy (1942) also published as Murder is a Kill-Joy
Lady Killer (1942)
The Old Battle Ax (1943)
Net of Cobwebs (1945)
The Innocent Mrs. Duff (1946)
The Blank Wall (1947) Reprinted by Persephone Books
Persephone Books
Persephone Books is an independent publisher based in Bloomsbury, London. Founded in 1999 by Nicola Beauman, Persephone has a catalogue of 93 "neglected novels, diaries, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, biography and cookery books, mostly by women and mostly dating from the early to...
Too Many Bottles (1951) also published as The Party Was the Pay-Off
The Virgin Huntress (1951)
Widow's Mite (1953)
External links
- http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/pages/authors/elisabeth_sanxay_holding.htm
- http://vinpulp.blogspot.com/2008/02/blank-wall-by-elisabeth-sanxay-holding.html
- http://www.answers.com/topic/the-deep-end-film-1?cat=entertainment
- http://gadetection.pbwiki.com/The-Innocent-Mrs-Duff-by-Elizabeth-Sanxay-Holding?doneSave=1