Wednesday, June 8, 2011

R.I.P. - Lilian Jackson Braun, 1913 - 2011


Best-selling and beloved mystery writer, Lilian Jackson Braun, died yesterday at the age of 97.

Known for her "The Cat Who..." mystery series, featuring report James Qwilleran and his Siamese cats Koko and Yum-Yum, Jackson first broke into the mystery publishing field with The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, in 1966. Two additional volumes in the series followed in 1967 and 1968. Braun then took a hiatus from publishing for 18 years, until retiring from her job with the Detroit Free Press. In 1986, "The Cat Who..." series returned to press and she averaged one new book per year until 2007, when The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers was published. That ended up becoming her final novel, as ill health prevented her from continuing work on her promised next volume, The Cat Who Smelled Smoke.

Here are some biographical portraits of Braun and her literary creations:

L.A. Times Obituary for Lilian Jackson Braun

Wikipedia pages for: Braun | The Cat Who series

Lilian Jackson Braun obit at www.legacy.com

New York Times Obituary for Lilian Jackson Braun

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