Rex Stout

Rex Todhunter Stout was a prominent American author famous for his detective fiction.

He is best known for creating the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin. These two characters appeared in 33 novels and 39 novellas or short stories. Stout wrote these stories between 1934 and 1975. His work was so highly regarded that the Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated as the Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon XXXI. Stout himself was also nominated as the Best Mystery Writer of the Century. Beyond his fiction, Stout was a significant public intellectual who participated in many social and political causes.

Stout's literary career involved several distinct stages and shifts in focus. In the 1910s, he wrote more than 40 works of fiction for various magazines. These stories ranged from romance and adventure to science fiction and early detective tales. By 1916, Stout decided to stop writing fiction temporarily to build financial independence. He wanted to write only when he chose to, rather than for money. He achieved this by inventing a school banking system in 1916. This system helped children manage their savings in school accounts. Approximately 400 U.S. schools adopted his method. The royalties from this business allowed him to travel through Europe during the 1920s.

After a decade-long break, Stout returned to writing in the late 1920s. He first published the psychological novel *How Like a God* in 1929. He published four such psychological novels between 1929 and 1933. In 1933, he shifted his focus toward detective fiction for financial and creative reasons. He wrote *Fer-de-Lance*, which introduced the Nero Wolfe series in 1934. This marked the beginning of a massive body of work. He wrote at least one Nero Wolfe story every year until 1966, with the exception of 1943. Even in his later years, he continued to produce work, publishing four more Wolfe novels before his death in 1975.

Stout was a creator of many different types of protagonists. While Nero Wolfe was his most famous, he also created Theodolinda "Dol" Bonner. Introduced in the 1937 novel *The Hand in the Glove*, Bonner was a significant example of a female private investigator. He also wrote about characters named Tecumseh Fox and Alphabet Hicks. Some characters even crossed over between different stories. For instance, Inspector Cramer appeared in the Wolfe books and later worked as a protagonist in the novel *Red Threads*. This interconnectedness helped build a rich world for his readers to explore.

Stout's life was also defined by his intense involvement in public service and advocacy. During World War II, he prioritized war-related activities over his detective writing. For four years, he chaired the Writers' War Board. This organization coordinated the volunteer services of American writers to support the war effort. He also hosted 62 wartime radio broadcasts titled *Our Secret Weapon* on CBS Radio. In these shows, Stout acted as a "lie detective." He spent about twenty hours a week analyzing data to refute Axis propaganda. This work was intended to provide accurate information to the public.

Stout held several leadership positions within professional organizations. He served as the president of the Authors Guild and the president of the Mystery Writers of America in 1958. In 1959, the Mystery Writers of America honored him with the Grand Master Award. This award is considered the highest achievement in the mystery field. He also helped found the Vanguard Press to publish books that commercial presses often ignored. His activism included work with the American Civil Liberties Union and the promotion of world federalism. He used his platform to advocate for authors' rights and copyright law improvements.

The influence of Stout extended to his relationships with other famous writers. He was a longtime friend of the British humorist P. G. Wodehouse. The two writers were mutual fans of each other's work. Wodehouse even wrote the foreword to the biography *Rex Stout: A Majesty's Life*. The connection between them was so strong that Wodehouse included mentions of Stout in his *Jeeves* stories. Stout's life demonstrates how a writer can impact both the world of art and the world of public policy. His legacy remains in the enduring popularity of his detective characters.