Richard Edward Connell

Born in Dutchess County, New York, in 1893, Richard Connell worked as a journalist before becoming widely known as a writer of short fiction. He served in World War I, and that mix of newsroom speed and real-world experience helped shape the brisk, vivid style readers still associate with his work.

Connell is most famous for the short story The Most Dangerous Game, first published in the 1920s and adapted many times for film, radio, television, and comics. Its premise has proved remarkably durable, and it remains one of the most anthologized adventure stories in American literature.

He also wrote for Hollywood, contributing screen stories and screenplays in addition to magazine fiction. Connell died in Beverly Hills, California, in 1949, but his reputation endures largely because of the lasting popularity of that one unforgettable tale of survival and suspense.