Every novel he writes is a marvel of planning: Who is Ira Levin?

Born on August 27, 1929, in Manhattan, New York, Ira Levin spent his childhood between Manhattan and the Bronx. His father, Charles, was a well-known toy importer. He was educated at the Horace Mann Private School in New York. While he was known as the "Jewish Boy from New York" during his youth, he was known as an atheist during his writing period.

From 1946 to 1948 he studied at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and later at New York University, where he majored in Philosophy and English; He graduated from here in 1950. He served in the Army Signal Corps from 1953 to 1955. After university, he wrote educational films and scripts for radio and television. The first of these was "Portrait of Leda", completed in 1951.

The first play Levin wrote was No Time for Sergeants, adapted from the 1954 Mac Hyman novel. With this story, prepared for the United States Air Force and telling about the adventures of a peasant, Levin opened on Broadway in 1955 and managed to revive his career. The play was adapted into a film of the same name in 1958, with Nick Adams reprising the role of Griffith in a new style.

Ira Marvin Levin (August 27, 1929 – November 12, 2007) was an American novelist, playwright, and songwriter. His works include the novels A Kiss Before Dying (1953), Rosemary's Baby (1967), The Stepford Wives (1972), This Perfect Day (1970), The Boys from Brazil (1976), and Sliver (1991). Levin also wrote the play Deathtrap (1978). Many of his novels and plays have been adapted into films. He received the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award and several Edgar Awards.

This concept was later developed into a 1964 television comedy series starring Sammy Jackson. No Time for Sergeants is one of the most famous sitcoms, and Gomer Pyle is credited with being a pioneer of the USMC. Levin's best-known play was the comedy thriller Deathtrap (1978), which ran for a long time on Broadway. Levin won his second Edgar award for this play. The play was also adapted into a movie of the same name starring Christopher Reeve and Michael Caine in 1982.

His first novel, A Kiss Before Dying (1953), was highly acclaimed by readers and critics. In 1954, it won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The novel was adapted to cinema twice, in 1956 and 1991. Levin's most remarkable novel was Rosemary's Baby, which is considered one of the leading works of occultism. The work, which was adapted into a movie by Roman Polanski in 1968, left a deep mark on the big screen as well as in literature. The film starred Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes. Ruth Gordon won the Oscar for Supporting Actress. Roman Polanski was also nominated for an Oscar for best-adapted screenplay.

Levin said the following about his work in an interview in 2002:

“I feel guilty that Rosemary's Baby helped popularize Satanism. Unfortunately, so many generations were exposed to this and started to believe in the devil more. I do not believe in Satan and I feel that fundamentalism of all kinds will decrease in the future.”

Other Levin novels that were adapted into films were Stepford Women and The Boys from Brazil. The Boys from Brazil met with the big screen twice, in 1978 and 2004. In the 1990s, Levin wrote two more novels that became bestsellers. The first of these, Silver, was brought to the cinema by director Philip Noyce in 1993. The film starred Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, and Tom Berenger. In 1997, the sequel to Rosemary's Baby, Rosemary's Son, was published.

Ira Levin's thriller novels were described as "Swiss Time" by the famous author Stephen King. “Every novel Levin writes is a marvel of planning,” King said.

Although he is mostly known for the thrillers adapted from his works, Levin was also a good science fiction writer. He was awarded the Prometheus Honor Award in 1992 for his work This Perfect Day.

He died of a heart attack at his home in Manhattan on November 12, 2007, at the age of 78.