Zelda Popkin (née Feinberg; 5 July 1898 – 25 May 1983) was an American writer of
novel
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
s and
mystery stories. She created
Mary Carner, one of the first professional female private detectives in fiction. Carner was a store detective who appeared in five novels.
Life
Zelda Popkin was married to Louis Popkin, and together they ran a small
public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
firm until his death. They had two children, Roy and
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
.
Work
Popkin's most successful book was ''The Journey Home'', published in 1945, which sold nearly a million copies. ''Small Victory'', published in 1947, was one of the first American novels with a
Holocaust
The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
theme, and ''Quiet Street'' (1951) was the first American novel about the creation of the state of
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.
She also wrote an autobiography, ''Open Every Door'' (1956), chronicling her childhood, life with her husband Louis Popkins, and life after his death. ''Herman Had Two Daughters'' (1968), a novel about two young Jewish women growing up in a small Pennsylvania town, is also largely autobiographical.
Awards
* 1952
Jewish National Book Award for ''Quiet Street''
Books
Mary Carner Crime Series
* Death Wears a White Gardenia (1938)
* Time Off for Murder (1940)
* Murder in the Mist (1940)
* Dead Man's Gift (1941)
* No Crime for a Lady (1942)
Novels
* So Much Blood (1944)
* The Journey Home (1945)
* Small Victory (1947)
* Walk Through the Valley (1949)
* Quiet Street (1951)
* Open Every Door (1956)
* Herman Had Two Daughters (1968)
* A Death of Innocence (1971)
* Dear Once (1975)
Non fiction autobiography
* Open Every Door (1956)
References
External links
FantasticFiction* http://www.uky.edu/~popkin
* http://www.uky.edu/~popkin/zelda.htm
1898 births
1983 deaths
20th-century American novelists
American mystery writers
American women novelists
Jewish American novelists
Jewish women writers
American women mystery writers
20th-century American women writers
Plainfield High School (New Jersey) alumni
20th-century American Jews
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