No Orchids for Miss Blandish (novel)
Encyclopedia
No Orchids For Miss Blandish is a 1939 crime novel by the British writer James Hadley Chase
. The novel was influenced by the American crime writer James M. Cain
and the stories in the pulp
magazine Black Mask.
No Orchids for Miss Blandish provoked considerable controversy because of its explicit depiction of sexuality and violence. The novel was a great critical success and was included in the Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century
.
In 1942, the novel was adapted into a stage play which ran for over 200 performances at the Prince of Wales Theatre
in London. In 1948, it was adapted into a British film No Orchids for Miss Blandish. The 1971 American film The Grissom Gang
was also based on the novel.
It was also the subject of a fairly well-known essay by George Orwell
, Raffles and Miss Blandish
, and parodied by Raymond Queneau
in We Always Treat Women Too Well.
James Hadley Chase
James Hadley Chase is the best-known pseudonym of the British writer Rene Brabazon Raymond who also wrote under the names James L. Docherty, Ambrose Grant, and Raymond Marshall. Chase is one of the best known thriller writers of all time...
. The novel was influenced by the American crime writer James M. Cain
James M. Cain
James Mallahan Cain was an American author and journalist. Although Cain himself vehemently opposed labeling, he is usually associated with the hardboiled school of American crime fiction and seen as one of the creators of the roman noir...
and the stories in the pulp
magazine Black Mask.
No Orchids for Miss Blandish provoked considerable controversy because of its explicit depiction of sexuality and violence. The novel was a great critical success and was included in the Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century
Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century
The 100 Books of the Century is a grading of the books considered as the hundred best of the 20th century, drawn up in the spring of 1999 through a poll conducted by the French retailer Fnac and the Paris newspaper Le Monde....
.
In 1942, the novel was adapted into a stage play which ran for over 200 performances at the Prince of Wales Theatre
Prince of Wales Theatre
The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre on Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in the City of Westminster. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner...
in London. In 1948, it was adapted into a British film No Orchids for Miss Blandish. The 1971 American film The Grissom Gang
The Grissom Gang
The Grissom Gang is a 1971 American period gangster film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich. The screenplay was by Leon Griffiths, based on the novel No Orchids for Miss Blandish by James Hadley Chase. The cinematographer was Joseph Biroc...
was also based on the novel.
It was also the subject of a fairly well-known essay by George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
, Raffles and Miss Blandish
Raffles and Miss Blandish
Raffles and Miss Blandish is an essay by George Orwell written in 1944. It compares the A. J. Raffles crime stories to No Orchids for Miss Blandish by the crime writer James Hadley Chase....
, and parodied by Raymond Queneau
Raymond Queneau
Raymond Queneau was a French poet and novelist and the co-founder of Ouvroir de littérature potentielle .-Biography:Born in Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Queneau was the only child of Auguste Queneau and Joséphine Mignot...
in We Always Treat Women Too Well.