Bruno Fischer
Bruno Fischer was a notable figure in American noir mystery fiction, born in Germany in 1908 and immigrating to the United States at the age of five. Naturalized as a citizen in 1919, he pursued a multifaceted career that included roles as a reporter, editor, and a writer for both pulp and more mainstream detective magazines. Fischer published stories under the pseudonym Russell Gray and is known for his work in influential publications like Black Mask. His novels, such as "Quoth the Raven" and "The Hornet's Nest," often featured relatable characters and were set in small towns in upstate New York, reflecting his own life experiences. Over his writing career, he produced numerous short stories and became recognized for his psychological depth and insight into human nature. In addition to fiction, Fischer also held editorial positions and contributed to various literary projects. He continued to write until failing eyesight compelled him to stop, passing away in 1992. His contributions to the genre remain significant, with his works praised for their complexity and realism.
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Bruno Fischer
Writer
- Born: June 29, 1908
- Birthplace: Germany
- Died: 1992
- Place of death: Putnam Valley, New York
Biography
Bruno Fischer was born in 1908 in Germany, the son of Sarah Metzger Fischer and Herman Fischer, a grocer. When he was five, he and his family immigrated to the United States. Fischer attended Richmond Hill High School, in Long Island, New York, and the Rand School of Social Sciences in New York City. He became a naturalized citizen in 1919. In 1934, Fischer married Ruth Miller, a school secretary; they had two children, Adam and Nora.
In 1929, Fischer worked as a sports reporter, rewrite man, and police reporter for the Long Island Daily Press in Long Island City, New York, and from 1929 until 1931 he was a reporter and an editor for Labor Voice. In addition, he was an editor of the Socialist Call from 1934 to 1936. During this time, Fischer also worked as a truck driver and chauffeur and wrote book reviews and political columns for The New Republic and other magazines. Fischer also joined The Workmen’s Circle, a social and cultural Jewish organization that promoted progressive Yiddish culture and supported the labor and socialist movements.
Fischer’s interest in writing for the pulp magazines, which largely catered to a working-class readership, was of a piece with his radical politics. Using the pseudonym of Russell Gray, he began to publish regularly in pulp magazines devoted to mystery and horror; later, he published stories in the more respectable detective magazines, including the prestigious Black Mask, using his real name. In the 1940’s, Fischer began writing full-length mystery novels. Quoth the Raven and The Hornet’s Nest, the two novels he published in 1944, enjoyed particular critical accolades. The Hornet’s Nest introduced the detective-hero Rick Train, who returned in Kill to Fit in 1946. His novel The Dead Men Grin in 1945 introduced his favorite detective-hero, Ben Helm, who appeared in six of Fischer’s novels and was as much a criminologist as a hard-boiled detective.
In the 1950’s, Fischer wrote mysteries for Fawcett, considered the best of the publishers who developed in the light of that decade’s growing market for inexpensive, original paperback novels. Often Fischer set his novels in the small towns of upstate New York, where he himself lived for much of his life. While the crimes in these novels were lurid and sensational, his characters were everyday people and his style was restrained and concentrated on the process of detection.
In the 1960’s, Fisher began a new career as an editor. From 1961 to 1965, he was executive editor at both Collier Books and the Arco Publishing Company, both based in New York City; from 1963 to 1970, he was education editor at Arco. Between 1960 and 1992, he published his last two novels and a collection of six previously unpublished stories from his years as a pulp fiction writer. Failing eyesight prevented Fischer from further writing.
In addition to his novels, Fischer wrote about five hundred short stories, including a story considered a minor classic, “The Man Who Lost His Head.” His accomplished writing in the genre of American noir mystery fiction was distinguished by its psychological insight and believable characters. He died in 1992 in Putnam Valley, New York.