Evelyn Domenica Berckman (October 18, 1900 – September 18, 1978) was an American writer noted for her detective and

Gothic horror Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean m ...

novels. In addition to her novels and screenplays, she also wrote four non-fiction titles about British naval history.

Personal life

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, Berckman was the daughter of woolen goods merchant Aaron Berkman and his wife Hannah who emigrated to the United States in 1891 and from 1900 to 1936 resided in Germantown, a suburb some seven miles from downtown Philadelphia. After attending the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, where she was a contemporary of

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...

among others, Berckman spent the 1930s in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, living on East 60th Street on the city's

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...

. She worked as a piano teacher, and as a pianist and composer, before this career was curtailed by paralysis brought on by arduous sessions of piano practice. Her compositions were performed by the

Pro Arte Quartet The Pro Arte String Quartet is a string quartet founded in Belgium, which became affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1941. History Origins 1912-1941 The Pro Arte String Quartet was founded by Alphonse Onnou in Brussels in 1912 ...

and the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

among others. Her first novel, ''The Evil of Time'', was published in 1954. Berckman made several visits to London, staying for extended periods in various

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

hotels while she wrote, building up a second career "to avoid the threat of poverty".Interview – ''The Scotsman'', 14 June 1975. In 1960 she moved to the city permanently, settling in the

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

area and living at various addresses until her death from heart disease in 1978. Research for her books brought her in contact with art historian

Rupert Gunnis Rupert Forbes Gunnis (11 March 1899 – 31 July 1965) was an English collector and historian of British sculpture. He is best known for his ''Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851'', which "revolutionized the study of British sculpture, pr ...

, to whom she dedicated her 1967 novel ''The Heir of Starvelings'', an apparently true story which she based on anecdotal information from Gunnis.

Fiction

* ''The Evil of Time'', Dodd 1954 * ''The Beckoning Dream'', Dodd 1955 (filmed for television as ''Worse Than Murder'', 1960, with

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

and

Constance Ford Constance Ford (born Cornelia M. Ford; July 1, 1923 – February 26, 1993) was an American actress and Model (person), model. She portrayed Ada Lucas Hobson on the long-running daytime soap opera ''Another World (TV series), Another World'', f ...

) * ''The Strange Bedfellow'', Dodd 1956 * ''The Blind Villain / House of Terror'' Dodd 1957 * ''The Hovering Darkness'', Dodd 1957 * ''No Known Grave'', Dodd 1958 * ''Lament for Four Brides'', Dodd 1959 * ''Do You Know This Voice?'', Dodd 1960 * ''Blind Girl's Buff'', Dodd 1962 * ''A Thing That Happens to You'', Dodd 1964 * ''Keys From a Window'', Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1965 * ''A Simple Case of Ill-Will'', Dodd 1965 * ''Stalemate'', Doubleday 1966 * ''The Heir of Starvelings'', ('A Novel of Innocence and Evil'), Doubleday 1967 * ''A Case in Nullity'', Doubleday 1968 (also published as ''A Hidden Malice'') * ''The Long Arm of the Prince'', Hale 1968 * ''She Asked for It'', Doubleday 1969 * ''The Voice of Air'', Doubleday 1970 * ''A Finger to Her Lips'', Doubleday 1971 * ''The Fourth Man on the Rope'', Doubleday 1972 * ''The Stake in the Game'', Doubleday 1973 * ''The Hidden Island''. Hamish Hamilton 1973 * ''The Victorian Album'', ('A Novel of Possession'), Doubleday 1973 * ''Wait, Just You Wait'', Doubleday 1974. (Published as ''Wait'', Hamish Hamilton, London, 1973) * ''The Nightmare Chase'', Doubleday 1975. (Published as ''Indecent Exposure'', Hamish Hamilton, London, 1975) * ''The Crown Estate'', Doubleday 1976. (Published as ''The Blessed Plot'', Hamish Hamilton. London, 1976) * ''Journey's End'', Doubleday 1977. (Published as ''Be All and End All'', Hamish Hamilton, London, 1976)

Non-fiction

* ''Nelson's Dear Lord: A Portrait of

St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305 ...

'', Macmillan, London, 1962 * ''Hidden Navy'', Hamish Hamilton, 1973 * ''Creators and Destroyers of the English Navy'', Hamish Hamilton, London, 1974 * ''Victims of Piracy: Admiralty Court, 1575–1678'', Hamish Hamilton, London, 1979

Reception

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berckman, Evelyn 1900 births 1978 deaths 20th-century American novelists American women classical pianists American women classical composers Writers from Philadelphia American women screenwriters Eastman School of Music alumni 20th-century American classical composers American naval historians American expatriates in England Women military writers American women novelists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American historians 20th-century American classical pianists 20th-century American women pianists Novelists from Pennsylvania Screenwriters from Pennsylvania Historians from Pennsylvania American women historians American mystery novelists 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American women composers