Rex Stout

Rex Stout, born on December first, eighteen eighty-six, was a distinguished American writer renowned for his contributions to detective fiction. His most celebrated creations, the brilliant detective Nero Wolfe and his astute assistant Archie Goodwin, captivated readers in thirty-three novels and thirty-nine novellas or short stories from nineteen thirty-four to nineteen seventy-five.

In recognition of his literary achievements, Stout was honored with the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award in nineteen fifty-nine. The Nero Wolfe series was later nominated as the Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon XXXI, the largest mystery convention in the world, while Stout himself was nominated as the Best Mystery Writer of the Century.

Beyond his fiction writing, Stout was a prominent public intellectual, actively involved in the early years of the American Civil Liberties Union and a founding member of the Vanguard Press. During World War II, he led the Writers' War Board and gained fame as a radio personality through his numerous broadcasts. His advocacy for world federalism and authors' rights was evident in his long tenure as president of the Authors Guild and his presidency of the Mystery Writers of America in nineteen fifty-eight.