Richard Edward Connell was born on October 17, 1893 in Poughkeepsie, NY, to Richard Edward Connell Sr. and Marrie Miller Connell. His father worked as an editor and reporter for the local paper before beginning his political career. His father’s connections at the paper later proved useful for Connell, as by the age of 18 he secured a job as an editor. Connell later attended Georgetown and, after the death of his father, Harvard. He served in World War I, and during his service he wrote and edited the camp newspaper. Upon his return from the war, he married Louise Herrick Fox in 1919. Connell’s stories were published in both the Saturday Evening Post and Collier’s Weekly. He died in Beverly Hills, CA at the age of 56.
Connell’s stories won him much acclaim. He won the O. Henry Memorial Prize twice for his short stories “A Friend of Napoleon” and “The Most Dangerous Game.” He was also nominated for an Academy Award for best original story in 1942 for the film “Meet John Doe.”
Some of his most notable works include: “Centenarian” (1916), “The Most Dangerous Game” (1924), “Heart of a Sloganeer” (1929), “Cross-Eyed South-Paw” (1929), “Black Chrysanthemums” (1927), “Brother Orchid” (1938), The Mad Lover (1927), Murder at Sea (1929), and Playboy (1936).
The short story “The Most Dangerous Game” was originally published in Collier’s Weekly on January 19, 1924. The story has also been published as “The Hounds of Zaroff.” The main premise of the tale has been adapted numerous times to film and...
