Charles Willeford was a highly accomplished author, known for his wide range of works that included poetry, crime fiction, and literary criticism. Born on January 2, 1919, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Willeford had a difficult childhood, with both of his parents dying of tuberculosis when he was young. He lived with his grandmother and later became a hobo in his early teens. Despite these challenges, Willeford went on to have a distinguished military career, serving in the Army Air Corps and later as a tank commander with the 10th Armored Division in Europe during World War II. He received several medals for his service, including the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre.
Willeford's writing career spanned many years and produced a diverse body of work. His crime novels are particularly notable for their sparse, straightforward narrative style and lack of sentimentality. His first novel, "High Priest of California," was published in 1953, and he went on to write many other successful novels, including "Pick-Up," "Wild Wives," "The Woman Chaser," and "Cockfighter." He also wrote the short story anthology "The Machine in Ward Eleven," the poetry collections "The Outcast Poets" and "Proletarian Laughter," and the nonfiction book "Something About A Soldier." Willeford achieved his greatest success with a series of novels featuring hapless Florida homicide detective Hoke Moseley, including "Miami Blues," "New Hope for the Dead," "Sideswipe," and "The Way We Die Now."
In addition to his writing, Willeford was also a professor, radio presenter, horse trainer, magazine editor, boxer, and master sergeant in the U.S Air force and U.S army. He was married three times and was an associate editor for "Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine." Willeford's work has been adapted into movies, including "Cockfighter," "Miami Blues," and "The Woman Chaser." He died of a heart attack on March 27, 1988, at the age of 69.