Richard Connell
Richard Connell was a prominent American author and screenwriter, best known for his influential short story "The Most Dangerous Game," published in 1924. Born in Duchess County, New York, he began his writing career at the age of ten, initially focusing on baseball while submitting work to his father's newspaper. By his teenage years, Connell was already editing for The Poughkeepsie News-Press and later served as secretary to his father, a U.S. congressman. After transferring from Georgetown University to Harvard, where he became involved with student publications, Connell transitioned to journalism, reporting for The New York American.
During World War I, he volunteered for military service, which inspired him to pursue short-story writing. His works gained popularity, appearing in well-known magazines such as Collier's and The Saturday Evening Post. Connell published three collections of short stories, with his first being released in 1922. Following the success of "The Most Dangerous Game," which won the O. Henry Memorial Award, he shifted to full-time freelance writing and later moved to Beverly Hills, California, where he continued to create notable works in both fiction and film.
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Richard Connell
Writer
- Born: October 17, 1893
- Birthplace: Dutchess County, New York
- Died: November 22, 1949
- Place of death: Beverly Hills, California
Biography
A native of Duchess County, New York, Richard Connell began submitting his work for publication at the age of ten. At that time, the subject was baseball, and the publisher was his father, owner of The Poughkeepsie News-Press. Throughout his life, Connell would find writing easy, be it journalism, screenwriting, or short fiction. At sixteen he was editing for the News- Press. Two years later he served as secretary to his father, who became a U.S. congressmen. After his father’s death in 1912, Connell transferred from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., to Harvard University. There he rose to the position of editor of The Daily Crimson and also of the Harvard Lampoon magazine. Not long after Connell left Harvard and started working as a reporter for The New York American, World War I began and Connell volunteered for service. He took up short-story writing, and would eventually be published in many of the popular magazines of the day, including Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post. His first collection of stories was published in 1922; two more would follow within the next six years. His most famous story, still in print today, is “The Most Dangerous Game,” which first appeared in 1924. It won the O. Henry Memorial Award and gave Connell the boost he needed to go into full-time freelance writing. He moved to Beverly Hills, California, where he would live the rest of his life, continued to write popular short fiction, and also succeeded in becoming a successful screenwriter.