''Shaft'' is a 1970

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...

Ernest Tidyman Ernest Ralph Tidyman (January 1, 1928 – July 14, 1984) was an American author and screenwriter, best known for his novels featuring the African-American detective John Shaft. His screenplay for '' The French Connection'' garnered him an Acade ...

. It is the first novel in the

John Shaft John Shaft is a fictional private investigator created by author/screenwriter Ernest Tidyman for the 1970 novel of the same name. He was portrayed by Richard Roundtree in the original 1971 film and in its four sequels—'' Shaft's Big Score!'' ...

novel series. The novel debuted the character

and inspired both the 1971 film '' Shaft'' and its sequels.

Plot

''Shaft'' tells one of the adventures of

, a

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a wikt:private eye, private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. ...

based 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 ...

Background

Author

was at the time trying to transition from the field of journalism to fiction, after his first novel, ''Flower Power'', had little success. Editor Alan Rinzler, who had worked with Claude Brown on the bestselling ''

Manchild in the Promised Land ''Manchild in the Promised Land'' is a 1965 autobiographical novel written by Claude Brown. It chronicles the author's coming-of-age story amidst poverty and violence in Harlem during the 1940s and 1950s. Published at the height of the civil ...

'', wanted a book to take the gritty realism of ''Manchild in the Promised Land'' and bring it into the mystery genre. At the recommendation of literary agent Ronald Hobbs, noted as one of the few black literary agents in the 1960s, Tidyman was commissioned to write ''Shaft'' in 1968. He started writing the novel in late 1968, finished it in 1969, and immediately started shopping the book's film rights in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, even though it would not see publication for nearly another year. ''Shaft'' was first published in a hardback edition in April 1970.

References

External links

Mullhollandbooks.com

Steve Aldous' Guide to Shaft In Print
1970 American novels American detective novels American novels adapted into films Macmillan Publishers books Novels by Ernest Tidyman Novels set in New York City Shaft (franchise) {{1970s-crime-novel-stub