The only reason he wrote was money, because he wanted to build a house with his wife and the money he had was not enough for that. Thus, the character "Mike Hammer" was born.
Mickey Spillane, whose real name is Frank Morrison Spillane, started writing in the 1930s with detective stories for comic book magazines. But it was the first Mike Hammer novel, "I, the Jury", written in 1947, that introduced Spillane and the character Mike Hammer he created to the world.
After this novel was appreciated by a wide range of readers, the Hammer series began to be published one after the other.
Frank Morrison Spillane (March 9, 1918 – July 17, 2006), better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American crime novelist, whose stories often feature his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally. Spillane was also an occasional actor, once even playing Hammer himself in the 1965 film The Girl Hunters.
"People read a book not to get to the middle, but to get to the end. That's why the most important part of the book should be the end. I first design the end of the books I will write, and then I follow the path to reach that end," said Spillane, especially Kiss Me to Kill. Many of his novels have also been adapted for the big screen. Spillane also played the role of Hammer in the movie Girl Hunters, which was released in 1962. Spillane also wrote the scripts for the TV series Commissioner Colombo.
Who is Mickey Spillane?
Mickey Spillane was born in Brooklyn on March 9, 1918. His real name is Frank Spillane. His baptismal name is Michael. Spillane, who was involved in sports during his school years, is especially interested in football and swimming. However, shortly after finishing school, he finished his first novel.
After writing comics and working as a salesman, he served as a teacher and fighter pilot in the United States Air Force in World War II. While doing his military service, he met Mary Ann Pearce and married her in 1945. After writing articles for several magazines during these years, he started working on long-term novels.
He finished his first detective story in 1946: "I, the Jury". The only reason he wrote was money, because he wanted to build a house with his wife and the money he had was not enough for that. Thus, the character "Mike Hammer" was born.
Since then, he has written thirty-one novels, thirty of which are Mike Hammer detectives. He joined the Jehovah's Witnesses sect in 1952. He has been subject to harsh criticism at times because sexuality and violence are an integral part of his novels. Despite this, he continued to write. Spillane was writing for money. He was not ashamed of this either: ("Crime novels are a good way to make money"). The Dealer of Death, published in 1989, has sold more than 130 million copies. At the Edgar Allan Poe Awards in 1995, Mickey Spillane was given the Grand Master Honor Award. His last novel, The Dark Path, was published in 1996 after Mike Hammer took a seven-year break from his adventures. In addition to his detective novels, Mickey Spillane also has two children's books.