One of the most famous names in mystery and crime fiction, Ellery Queen is the pseudonym of an American cousin duo who were coauthors of a series of more than 35 detective novels featuring a character named Ellery Queen. The coauthors were
Before the two cousins took up writing, Dannay worked in advertising and Lee as a publicity agent. They first collaborated on an impulsive entry for a detective story contest. The success of the result, The Roman Hat Mystery (1929), started Ellery Queen on his career, and after publication of two more mysteries, the cousins were able to become full-time writers.
They took turns creating plots and writing stories about the sleuth Queen, giving clues so that readers might solve each case before seeing the answer. Over time, however, Dannay came to focus on plot, clues, and character outlines, and Lee would fill in the meat of the story. Queen’s adventures have been adapted for radio, television, and film. The pair used another pseudonym, Barnaby Ross, when writing about their second detective creation, a retired Shakespearean actor named Drury Lane. They would hold public debates, wearing masks, with Lee posing as Queen and Dannay as Ross, believed by fans to be two distinct authors. The cousins’ identities were kept secret until 1936.
Dannay and Lee’s other ventures included Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, founded in 1941, which has published some of the best current detective fiction. They also edited numerous anthologies, including 101 Years’ Entertainment: Great Detective Stories, 1841–1941 (1945), and cofounded Mystery Writers of America, a professional association for mystery and crime writers.