Andrew Klavan

Andrew Klavan, (born 1954), known also by his pen name Keith Peterson, is an American writer of mystery novels, psychological thrillers, and screenplays for "tough-guy" mystery films. Two of Klavan's books have been adapted into motion pictures: True Crime (1999) and Don't Say A Word (2001). He has been nominated for the Edgar Award four times and has won twice.^[1] Playwright and novelist Laurence Klavan is his brother.^[2]

Career

Klavan dropped out of school temporarily to work in local radio news and wrote his first novel, Face of the Earth, in 1977. He then moved to Putnam County, New York, where he worked as a reporter for a local newspaper. His experience covering local crime later formed the basis for his novel Corruption.

Klavan later worked as a script reader for Columbia Pictures and a news writer for WOR Radio and the ABC Radio Network while writing mysteries and freelance book reviews.^[2] During this time he adopted the pseudonym "Keith Peterson, "which appeared on The Trapdoor (1988), The Rain (1988), There Fell a Shadow (1988), Rough Justice (1989), and The Scarred Man (1992).The Rain won the 1990 Edgar Award for Best Original Paperback. Klavan has also written supernatural thrillers such as Don't Say A Word (1991)  — which was also nominated for an Edgar, The Animal Hour (1992), and Corruption (1993), and wrote the screenplay for the film version of Simon Brett's novel A Shock to the System.

Klavan and his family then moved to London, where he wrote True Crime and two other novels. After seven years, he moved back to the United States, settling in Santa Barbara, California, where he completed the novel Man and Wife (currently in motion picture development)^[2] and wrote his Weiss/Bishop trilogy: Dynamite Road, Shotgun Alley, and Damnation Street.

In 2008, he released a war-on-terror political novel, Empire of Lies. In 2009, he published The Last Thing I Remember, a thriller aimed at young adults.

Klavan has been a regular contributor of short video commentaries under the general title "Klavan on the Culture", posted at PJTV.com. He also became a contributor to the center-right social networking and blogging Web site Ricochet.com on May 17, 2010.^[3]

In 2011, Klavan began appearing on Glenn Beck's network GBTV as host of the "Very Serious Commentary" segment.

Awards

Klavan has received a number of award wins and nomination in the various mystery-genre awards ceremonies. Mrs. White, written as pen-name Margaret Tracy, won the 1984 Edgar Award for "Best Paperback Original".^[4] Klavans next win came in 1989, with his novel Trapdoor (this time as Keith Peterson) picking up a nomination again in the "Best Paperback Original" category.^[4] The following year he won the Edgar Award in this same category for The Rain, as well as a nomination at the 1990 Anthony Awards for Rough Justice again in the paperback running.^[4][5] Klavan was nominated under his own name for the first time in 1992 for his novel Don't Say a Word, which was nominated for the "Best Novel" Edgar Award.^[6] He received another Anthony Award nomination at the 1996 ceremony for his novel, True Crime, again for "Best Novel".^[5]

Political philosophy

Identifying himself as a conservative, Klavan has expressed the view that "rightists" are the victims of discrimination in Hollywood.^[7] In his view, people in the American arts are not fulfilling their inherent role of "speaking truth to power," since they are not willing to criticize those of the Left in power.^[8] In July 2008, he likened criticism of George W. Bush to the vilification of Batman in The Dark Knight.^[9] This was widely criticized.^[8]

Klavan said:

Every single one of our soldiers signed up or re-signed up after 9/11. The term, the longest one was six years, so every single one signed up after 9/11, every single one knew where he was going, what was going to happen to him, and has an idea of why it's the right thing to do. Those guys cannot appear in the movies. And you know, it wouldn't bother me so much, the movies that Hollywood makes never bother me so much as the movies they don't make. If there were eight films attacking our troops, I would still despise them for making them during war time. But if there were 8 films supporting our troops, I know that those films would win out with the audience and I know their arguments would be better and I know the depiction of life would be more realistic.^[8]

In a December 2011 article, Klavan referred to himself as a "libertarian".^[10]

Personal life

Klavan was born in New York City. His father was Gene Klavan, a New York City disk jockey and one-half of the radio show "Klavan and Finch".^[11] He grew up on Long Island with his three brothers.^[2] He studied Business at the University of California, Berkeley.^[2][12] At this time, he self-identified as a political liberal while opposing some liberal policies, such as "affirmative action".^[8]

Klavan has two children with his wife Ellen.^[13] Klavan was raised Jewish but became an agnostic after his Bar mitzvah.^[8] He later converted to Christianity.^[8]

Bibliography

• Face of the Earth (1977)
• Agnes Mallory (1985)
• Mrs. White (1987) (as Margaret Tracy, with Laurence Klavan)
• There Fell A Shadow (1988) (as Keith Peterson)
• The Rain (1988) (as Keith Peterson)
• Darling Clementine (1988)
• The Trap Door (1988) (as Keith Peterson)
• Son of Man (1988)
• The Scarred Man (1989) (as Keith Peterson)
• Rough Justice (1989) (as Keith Peterson)
• Don't Say a Word (1991)
• The Animal Hour (1992)
• Corruption (1993)
• True Crime (1995)
• Suicide (1995)
• The Uncanny (1998)
• Hunting Down Amanda (1999)
• Man and Wife (2001)
• Dynamite Road (2003)
• Shotgun Alley (2004)
• Damnation Street (2006)
• Empire of Lies (2008)
• The Homelanders: The Last Thing I Remember (2009)
• The Homelanders: The Long Way Home (2010)
• The Homelanders: The Truth of the Matter (2010)
• The Identity Man (2010)
• The Homelanders: The Final Hour (2011)
• Crazy Dangerous (2012)

Filmography

• White of the Eye (film) (1987)
• A Shock to the System (2008) (Screenplay)

References

External links

• Official website
• Andrew Klavan at the Internet Movie Database
• Andrew Klavan at AllRovi
• Klavan, Andrew Crime Time Interview
• Apuzzo, Jason. Liberty Film Festival [1]
• Curtis, Brian. "Do You Fear Me Now?" Slate, February 2006
• Klavan, Andrew. "Clinton Doth Protest Too Much." Los Angeles Times, September 2006