Raymond Chandler was born in Chicago in 1888 and was educated at Dulwich College, London and studied international law in France and Germany. He published a number of poems and essays in local papers and worked as a reporter, essayist, and book reviewer. After serving for the Canadian Army during World War I he tried a variety of jobs before becoming a bookkeeper and auditor for Dabney Oil Syndicate. When Chandler lost his job during the Great Depression, he devoted himself to writing. He began writing short stories for Black Mask Magazine, the best known of the "hard-boiled" school of pulp fiction magazines. In 1939 he published his first novel The Big Sleep to instant acclaim in Britain and the US, introducing the world to his iconic private eye, Philip Marlowe, who later also starred in novels including Farewell My Lovely and The Long Goodbye. Chandler turned to screenwriting in 1943 with Double Indemnity and worked closely with director Billy Wilder. He continued to write for Hollywood for the next four years, receiving an Oscar nomination for The Blue Dahlia. In 1946 Chandler received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for screenplay and in 1954 for novel writing. During the last year of his life he was made President of the Mystery Writers of America. He died in 1959.