Patricia Highsmith's 100th birthday
Patricia Highsmith would have turned 100 this year. Born in 1921 in Texas, she spent most of her life between France and Switzerland, where se died in 1995. This explains why it is that a Swiss publisher, Diogenes Verlag, has since handled world rights to her work.
On this important occasion, La Nave di Teseo has published the anthology Ladies ("Donne"), which includes previously unpublished texts. La Nave di Teseo is also relaunching Patricia Highsmith’s entire work in Italy, and recently released new editions of Ripley Underwater ("Ripley sott’acqua") and Strangers on a Train ("Sconosciuti in treno").
"Strangers on a train" marked the author’s debut in 1950, and was quickly adapted for the big screen by Hitchcock. The film industry’s interest in her work continues to this day: the film adaptation of "Deep Waters" ("Acque profonde") is scheduled to be released this year and a TV series inspired by Mr. Ripley, Highsmith’s most successful character, is in production.
Patricia Highsmith’s work seems ageless, as The Independent journalist Geoffrey Macnab remarked
Whereas other crime writers’ work often becomes dated or seems tied to a specific period or place, Highsmith’s books have enduring and universal appeal.
