# Patricia Highsmith

> A Texas-born comic-book scriptwriter whose first novel became a Hitchcock film, who created Tom Ripley, and who published a lesbian love story under another name, then spent her last decades in Europe.

- Suspense novelist · The Talented Mr. Ripley · Strangers on a Train · Carol
- Known for: Five novels about the charming killer Tom Ripley, beginning with *The Talented Mr. Ripley* (1955), and *Strangers on a Train* (1950), which Alfred Hitchcock filmed in 1951.[1]
- Born: January 19, 1921
- Died: February 4, 1995
- Last updated: 2026-11-14
- Editorial review: approved 2026-11-15
- Web page: https://authorbackstories.com/classic/patricia-highsmith/
- Reading list (PDF): https://authorbackstories.com/classic/patricia-highsmith/reading-list.pdf

## Featured book: Best known

*The Talented Mr. Ripley* (1955). The 1955 novel that introduced Tom Ripley, the character she returned to in four more books.[1][4] It won France's Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in 1957.[2]

## At a glance

- Born: Mary Patricia Plangman, January 19, 1921, in Fort Worth, Texas[1][4]
- Parents: The commercial artists Jay Bernard Plangman and Mary Coates; she took the name of her stepfather, Stanley Highsmith[2][1]
- Education: Barnard College, graduated 1942[1]
- First job: Freelance comic-book scriptwriter, 1942 to the late 1940s[4][2]
- Pen name: Claire Morgan, for *The Price of Salt* (1952)[1][3]
- Homes: New York; from the 1960s England and France; her last years in Switzerland[2][4]
- Died: February 4, 1995, in Locarno, Switzerland, aged 74[1]
- Major award: Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, 1957, for *The Talented Mr. Ripley*[2]
- Major award: Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger, 1964, for *The Two Faces of January*[2]

## Patricia Highsmith's Backstory

### Early life

Mary Patricia Plangman was born on January 19, 1921, in Fort Worth, Texas, the only child of the commercial artists Jay Bernard Plangman and Mary Coates, who divorced shortly after her birth.[1][4][2] Her mother married Stanley Highsmith in 1924, and she took his name; she was raised for long stretches by her maternal grandmother in Fort Worth and moved to New York City as a child.[2][4]

### New York and the comics

She graduated from Barnard College in 1942 and spent the next several years writing comic-book scripts, including romance comics for the companies that later became Marvel.[1][4] Her story "The Heroine" appeared in *Harper's Bazaar* in 1945.[4] On Truman Capote's recommendation she spent the summer of 1948 at the Yaddo artists' colony, where she drafted her first novel.[2]

### Strangers on a Train and Claire Morgan

*Strangers on a Train* was published in 1950, and Alfred Hitchcock's film of it followed in 1951.[1] In 1952 she published *The Price of Salt*, a love story between two women, under the name Claire Morgan, because she feared being labeled a writer of lesbian books; it was reissued under her own name as *Carol* in 1990.[3]

### Ripley

*The Talented Mr. Ripley* (1955) introduced Tom Ripley, a charming con man and killer whom she brought back in *Ripley Under Ground* (1970), *Ripley's Game* (1974), *The Boy Who Followed Ripley* (1980) and *Ripley Under Water* (1991).[1][4] The first novel won France's Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in 1957, and *The Two Faces of January* won the Crime Writers' Association's Silver Dagger in 1964.[2]

### Europe

She moved to England in 1963 and to France in 1967, and spent her last years in Switzerland, near Locarno.[2][4] France made her a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1990.[4] She died in Locarno on February 4, 1995, at 74, of aplastic anemia and lung cancer, and left her estate to Yaddo.[2][1] Her diaries and notebooks, edited by Anna von Planta, were published in 2021.[1]

## Fun facts

- Before her first novel she wrote scripts for comic books, including romance comics for Timely and Atlas, the companies that became Marvel.[4]
- Truman Capote recommended her for the Yaddo artists' colony in 1948, and she drafted *Strangers on a Train* there.[2]
- *The Price of Salt* grew from a temporary Christmas job in Bloomingdale's toy department in 1948, where she noticed a blonde woman in a mink coat buy a doll and outlined a story about her that night.[3]
- The 25-cent Bantam paperback of *The Price of Salt* sold nearly a million copies, and fan letters reached her addressed to "Claire Morgan."[3]
- She kept snails as pets and once let them roam over the table at a dinner party.[2]
- In 1958 she co-wrote a children's picture book, *Miranda the Panda Is on the Veranda*, with Doris Sanders.[4]
- She left her estate, about $3 million, and her future royalties to Yaddo.[2]

## Books

In order of first publication; each series is kept together in reading order.

Novels, with first-publication years, from Wikipedia's Patricia Highsmith article, checked against Britannica; other books from Britannica and the Library of America.[2][1][4]

- 1950: *Strangers on a Train* (Novel). Her first novel.[4] [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Strangers%20on%20a%20Train%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1952: *The Price of Salt (Carol)* (Novel). First published as by Claire Morgan; reissued as *Carol* under her own name in 1990.[3] [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Price%20of%20Salt%20(Carol)%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1954: *The Blunderer* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Blunderer%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- **Ripley (the Ripliad)** (series, 5 books, 1955–1991)
  - 1955: Book 1, *The Talented Mr. Ripley* (Novel). ISBN 9780393332148. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9780393332148) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9780393332148)
  - 1970: Book 2, *Ripley Under Ground* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Ripley%20Under%20Ground%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
  - 1974: Book 3, *Ripley's Game* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Ripley's%20Game%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
  - 1980: Book 4, *The Boy Who Followed Ripley* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Boy%20Who%20Followed%20Ripley%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
  - 1991: Book 5, *Ripley Under Water* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Ripley%20Under%20Water%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1957: *Deep Water* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Deep%20Water%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1958: *A Game for the Living* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=A%20Game%20for%20the%20Living%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1958: *Miranda the Panda Is on the Veranda* (Children's book, with Doris Sanders). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Miranda%20the%20Panda%20Is%20on%20the%20Veranda%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1960: *This Sweet Sickness* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=This%20Sweet%20Sickness%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1962: *The Cry of the Owl* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Cry%20of%20the%20Owl%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1964: *The Glass Cell* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Glass%20Cell%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1964: *The Two Faces of January* (Novel). Won the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger.[2] [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Two%20Faces%20of%20January%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1965: *A Suspension of Mercy* (Novel). Published in the U.S. as *The Story-Teller*.[2] [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=A%20Suspension%20of%20Mercy%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1966: *Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction* (Nonfiction). A book on her craft, revised and enlarged in 1981.[1] [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Plotting%20and%20Writing%20Suspense%20Fiction%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1967: *Those Who Walk Away* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Those%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1969: *The Tremor of Forgery* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Tremor%20of%20Forgery%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1972: *A Dog's Ransom* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=A%20Dog's%20Ransom%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1975: *The Animal-Lover's Book of Beastly Murder* (Story collection). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Animal-Lover's%20Book%20of%20Beastly%20Murder%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1977: *Edith's Diary* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Edith's%20Diary%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1981: *The Black House* (Story collection). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Black%20House%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1983: *People Who Knock on the Door* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=People%20Who%20Knock%20on%20the%20Door%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1986: *Found in the Street* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Found%20in%20the%20Street%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1987: *Tales of Natural and Unnatural Catastrophes* (Story collection). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Tales%20of%20Natural%20and%20Unnatural%20Catastrophes%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 1995: *Small g: A Summer Idyll* (Novel). Her last novel, published after her death.[2][4] [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Small%20g%3A%20A%20Summer%20Idyll%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 2002: *Nothing That Meets the Eye: The Uncollected Stories* (Story collection). Published after her death.[4] [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Nothing%20That%20Meets%20the%20Eye%3A%20The%20Uncollected%20Stories%20Patricia%20Highsmith)
- 2021: *Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks, 1941–1995* (Other). Edited by Anna von Planta and published after her death.[1] [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Patricia%20Highsmith%3A%20Her%20Diaries%20and%20Notebooks%2C%201941%E2%80%931995%20Patricia%20Highsmith)

## Latest news

- Oct. 23, 2026: *A Talent for Murder*, a film starring Helen Mirren as Highsmith, opened in U.S. theaters from Bleecker Street; Anton Corbijn directed it from Joanna Murray-Smith's adaptation of her own play *Switzerland*.[5]

## Adaptations and other media

### Film

- *Strangers on a Train* (1951). Based on *Strangers on a Train*. Alfred Hitchcock's film, with a screenplay by Raymond Chandler and Czenzi Ormonde, starring Farley Granger and Robert Walker.[1][4]
- *Purple Noon (Plein soleil)* (1960). A French film of her work, released in English as *Purple Noon*.[2]
- *The American Friend* (1977). Based on *Ripley's Game*. A film based on *Ripley's Game*.[2]
- *The Talented Mr. Ripley* (1999). Based on *The Talented Mr. Ripley*. An American film of the novel.[2]
- *Carol* (2015). Based on *The Price of Salt (Carol)*. Todd Haynes's film of *The Price of Salt*, with Cate Blanchett as Carol and Rooney Mara as Therese.[3]
- *Deep Water* (2022). Based on *Deep Water*. A film directed by Adrian Lyne.[2]

### Television

- *Ripley* (2024). A Netflix limited series starring Andrew Scott.[2]

## Myth and record

- Claim: Highsmith said she smuggled her pet snails into France by hiding them under her breasts.[2]
  The record: Her biographer Joan Schenkar thought the story probably untrue and suggested the snails more likely traveled in cottage-cheese cartons.[2]

## Timeline

- Jan. 19, 1921: Born Mary Patricia Plangman in Fort Worth, Texas.[1]
- 1942: Graduates from Barnard College and begins writing comic-book scripts.[1][2]
- 1948: Stays at the Yaddo artists' colony, where she drafts *Strangers on a Train*.[2][4]
- 1950: *Strangers on a Train* is published.[1]
- 1951: Alfred Hitchcock's film of *Strangers on a Train* is released.[1]
- 1952: *The Price of Salt* is published under the name Claire Morgan.[3]
- 1955: *The Talented Mr. Ripley* is published.[1]
- Feb. 1963: Moves to England.[2]
- 1967: Moves to France.[2]
- 1990: *The Price of Salt* is reissued as *Carol* under her own name.[3]
- 1991: *Ripley Under Water*, the last Ripley novel, is published.[1]
- Feb. 4, 1995: Dies in Locarno, Switzerland, at 74.[1]
- 2021: *Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks, 1941–1995* is published.[1]
- Oct. 23, 2026: The film *A Talent for Murder*, with Helen Mirren as Highsmith, opens in the U.S.[5]

## What came after

Her literary estate is held by the Swiss Literary Archives in Bern, with the Swiss publisher Diogenes as her literary executor.[2]

## Sources

1. [Patricia Highsmith](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Patricia-Highsmith). Encyclopaedia Britannica. (reference)
2. [Patricia Highsmith](https://wiki.riteme.site/wiki/Patricia_Highsmith). Wikipedia (mirror). (reference)
3. [The Price of Salt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Price_of_Salt). Wikipedia. (reference)
4. [Patricia Highsmith](https://womencrime.loa.org/writers/patricia-highsmith/). Library of America (Women Crime Writers). (reference)
5. [A Talent for Murder: Helen Mirren as Patricia Highsmith](https://booksofbrilliance.com/2026/10/21/a-talent-for-murder-helen-mirren-patricia-highsmith/). Books of Brilliance. (news)
6. [The Talented Mr. Ripley (W. W. Norton paperback)](https://pastforward.org/products/the-talented-mr-ripley-9780393332148). Past Forward. (website)