Edwin Torres (born January 7, 1931) is a former New York State Supreme Court judge and author of Puerto Rican descent, who wrote the 1975 novel '' Carlito's Way''. His book was the basis for the 1993 movie of the same name, starring

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

, and for the 1979 book '' After Hours,'' the sequel to ''Carlito's Way''.

Early years

Both of Torres's parents emigrated from Jayuya, Puerto Rico, and settled in the

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

in Manhattan's Spanish Harlem, where Torres was born. Growing up in poverty, Torres graduated from

Stuyvesant High School Stuyvesant High School (pronounced ), commonly referred to among its students as Stuy (pronounced ), is a State school, public university-preparatory school, college-preparatory, Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school ...

. From there he attended City College of the

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...

, followed by the Brooklyn Law School.

Legal career

In 1958, Torres was admitted to the New York State Bar. In 1959, as an assistant district attorney, Torres participated in the prosecution of Sal "the Capeman" Agron. Shortly thereafter he became a criminal defense attorney. In 1977, Torres was appointed to the New York State Criminal Court. In 1980 he was selected to the State Supreme Court, where he served as a justice in the Twelfth Judicial District in New York City. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over felony cases, and Torres presided over a number of high-profile murder cases. '' The New York Times'' called Torres “one of the city’s most experienced and sternest judges and a man known for a crackling eloquence both in and out of the courtroom.” A famous exchange involved his telling a convicted murderer, “Sucker, your parole officer ain’t been born yet.” In the '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' season 1 episode "Semi-Professional," the Judge Raoul Sabatelli character is said to have been inspired by Judge Torres. He retired from the bench in 2008 and since then has served on the New York State Athletic Commission.

Writer of fiction

Torres’ tough upbringing in Manhattan and his work in the criminal justice system enabled him to create realistic crime fiction characters and plots.

Richie Narvaez Richie Narvaez (born 1965) is an American author and professor. In 2020, he won an Agatha Award and an Anthony Awards, Anthony Award for his novel ''Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco.'' His work focuses on the Puerto Rican and Nuyorican exper ...

called him "the Granddaddy—''¡El Abuelo!''—of Latino crime fiction in the U.S. For a brief while in the 1970s, Torres picked up the mantle of Chester Himes and

Miguel Piñero Miguel Piñero (December 19, 1946 – June 16, 1988) was a playwright, actor and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was a leading member of the Nuyorican literary movement. Early years Piñero was born on December 19, 1946, in Gura ...

, keeping the door cracked open for crime fiction writers who happen to be ethnically diverse. Without Torres we might not have gotten Ernesto Quiñonez’ ''Bodega Dreams,'' Carolina Garcia-Aguilera’s Lupe Solano series, or even Walter Mosley’s ''Devil in a Blue Dress''." Torres wrote '' Carlito's Way'' in 1975 and its sequel '' After Hours'' in 1979; both novels follow the exploits of Carlito Brigante, a fictional Puerto Rican drug kingpin and hustler who ends up doing time in

Sing-Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north o ...

and struggles to go "straight" after his release. ''The New Yorker'' praised ''Carlito’s Way:'' “It is in the grisly tradition of ''Little Caesar, The Jones Men,'' and ''The Friends of Eddie Coyle,'' and it is the equal of any of them.” Another novel, ''Q & A'' (1977), portrays the investigation of a decorated New York City police lieutenant suspected of corruption. Of the book, ''The New York Times'' noted, “Judge Torres infuses these nearly current events with so much life and style that you can almost smell the musty air of 100 Centre Street.”

Film adaptations

A film adaptation of '' Q & A'' was released in 1990, directed by Sidney Lumet, and it starred Nick Nolte and Armand Assante. ''After Hours'' was filmed in 1993, but used the title '' Carlito's Way'' to avoid being confused with Martin Scorsese's 1985 film '' After Hours''. The film starred

and Sean Penn, under the direction of Brian De Palma. The novel ''Carlito's Way'' was filmed in 2005 and released under the title '' Carlito's Way: Rise to Power''.

References

External links