James Sallis obit

Author James Sallis Dies at 81

 

He was not on the list.

James Sallis, the author known for his genre-spanning books, including the 2005 novel Drive, has died at 81.

Soho Press announced the author’s death in an email, calling him “in many ways…the platonic ideal of what a writer can be.”

According to a biography on his website, Sallis was born in Helena, Arkansas, and taught at Phoenix College, Otis College, and the Piper Center. He made his literary debut in 1970 with the science fiction story collection A Few Last Words; several more collections would follow, including Limits of the Sensible World, A City Equal to My Desire, and What You Were Fighting For.

He published his first novel, The Long-Legged Fly, in 1992; the book introduced readers to Lew Griffin, a Black detective in New Orleans. Griffin would go on to feature in five other novels, including Black Hornet, Bluebottle, and Ghost of a Flea.

In 2005, he published the neo-noir novel Drive, which was adapted into a 2011 film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Oscar Isaac. A sequel to the novel, Driven, was published in 2012.

His other novels include Renderings, Death Will Have Your Eyes, The Killer Is Dying, and a trilogy composed of the books Cypress Grove, Cripple Creek, and Salt River. Soho will publish his science fiction novel World’s Edge next month.

Sallis’ admirers paid tribute to him on social media. On the platform X, writer Paul Hirons posted, “I’m so very sad to read that one of my favourite writers, James Sallis, has died. As one of my other favourite writers said on another social platform, he’s one of the best to ever do it. His Lew Griffin books are just everything.”

And author Nathan Ashman wrote, “Really sad to learn that James Sallis passed away on Tuesday. A brilliant writer and an incredibly generous, thoughtful and funny man. RIP, Jim.”