Lilian Jackson Braun

Infobox Writer


imagesize = 150px
name = Lilian Jackson Braun
birthdate = 1913
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = novelist
nationality = United States
period = 1966 -
genre = Mystery
subject =

Lilian Jackson Braun (born 1913) is an American writer. She is well-known for her light-hearted series of "The Cat Who..." mystery novels. The "Cat Who" books center around the life of former newspaper reporter James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum in the fictitious small town of Pickax located in Moose County, "400 miles north of everywhere." Although never formally stated in the books, the towns, counties and lifestyles described in the series are generally accepted to be a modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan (located in the "Michigan Thumb") where she resided with her husband for many years until the mid 1980's. Many also believe that the culture and history of the Upper peninsula of Michigan are represented in the series as well, which is quite possible as it is indeed a fictitious location.

Lilian Jackson Braun began her writing career as a teenager, contributing sports poetry for the Detroit News. She later began working as an advertising copywriter for many of Detroit's department stores. After that stint, she worked at the Detroit Free Press as the "Good Living" editor for 30 years. She retired from the Free Press in 1978.

Between 1966 and 1968, she published three novels to critical acclaim: "The Cat Who Could Read Backwards", "The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern" and "The Cat Who Turned On and Off". In 1966, The New York Times labeled Braun, "the new detective of the year." The rising mystery author disappeared from the publishing scene for 18 years. The blame came from the fact that mystery novels were starting to focus on sex, violence, and foul language, and Braun's light-hearted books were not welcome in this new territory.Fact|date=May 2007 It wasn't until 1986 that the Berkley Publishing Group reintroduced Braun to the public with the publication of an original paperback, "The Cat Who Saw Red". Within two years, Berkeley released four new novels in paperback and reprinted the three mysteries from the sixties. Braun's series became an instant best seller once again. In January 2007 the twenty-ninth novel in the series, "The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers", was released in hardcover by the Penguin Group.

Not much is really known about Braun, as she prefers to keep her private life that way. For years, publishers have given inaccurate accounts of her year of birth, which has remained unknown until she openly acknowledged her age in an interview for the Detroit News in January 2005.

Like many writers from her generation, Braun is an admitted technophobe, and still uses a typewriter. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband, Earl Bettinger, and their two cats. The books all contain the dedication "Earl Bettinger the husband who..."

List of "The Cat Who..." Novels in Order

#"The Cat Who Could Read Backwards" (1966)
#"The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern" (1967)
#"The Cat Who Turned On and Off"
#"The Cat Who Saw Red" (1986)
#"The Cat Who Played Brahms" (1987)
#"The Cat Who Played Post Office" (1987)
#"The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare" (1988)
#"The Cat Who Sniffed Glue" (1988)
#"The Cat Who Went Underground"
#"The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts"
#"The Cat Who Lived High"
#"The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal" (1991)
#"The Cat Who Moved a Mountain"
#"The Cat Who Wasn't There"
#"The Cat Who Went into the Closet"
#"The Cat Who Came to Breakfast" (1994)
#"The Cat Who Blew the Whistle"
#"The Cat Who Said Cheese"
#"The Cat Who Tailed a Thief" (1997)
#"The Cat Who Sang for the Birds"
#"The Cat Who Saw Stars"
#"The Cat Who Robbed a Bank"
#"The Cat Who Smelled a Rat"
#"The Cat Who Went up the Creek"
#"The Cat Who Brought Down the House"
#"The Cat Who Talked Turkey" (2003)
#"The Cat Who Went Bananas"
#"The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell"
#"The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers"
#"The Cat Who Smelled Smoke" (will not be published) ?

External links

* [http://www.detnews.com/2005/metro/0501/11/B01-56197.htm Detroit News Interview with Braun]
* [http://home.att.net/~RACapowski/ Ronald Frobnitz and Family: An unofficial guide to The Cat Who... Series]
* [http://thecatwhoclub.tripod.com The Cat Who Club]