Braun, Lilian Jackson
1916 —
Place of Birth: Massachusetts
Place of Principal Residence: North Carolina
Biography
“Lilian Jackson Braun is a hard woman to pin down. It is generally believed that she was born in 1916, although the date still remains somewhat ambiguous with conflicting reports from publishers. She was born in Massachusetts, but shortly after moved with her family to Michigan. According to Braun, her mother had a huge influence on her storytelling abilities by having her talk about her day after school. At the age of three Braun’s mother taught her how to read and write so she could keep in contact with her grandmother. At the age of sixteen Braun graduated from high school and started writing sports poetry for the Detroit News. In addition, she penned articles under the name Ward Jackson for the Baseball Magazine and The Sporting News. Eventually Braun moved on to become an advertising copywriter for Detroit department stores. As a cat lover Braun centered the plot of first book series, Cat Who, on a fictitious retired newspaper reporter, James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum. Braun currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, Earl Bettinger, and her two Siamese cats..”
Selected Works
- The Cat Who Saw Red
- The Cat Who Robbed a Bank
- The Cat Who Said Cheese
- Other books in The Cat Who… series
Awards
- 1987 Edgar Awards (Edgar Allan Poe Awards) Nominee for The Cat Who Saw Red
- Literary Guild, Alternate Selection for The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, The Cat Who Said Cheese
- Mystery Guild, Main Selection for The Cat Who Came to Breakfast
Critical Reception
In 1966, The New York Times labeled Braun, “the new detective of the year.” However, this new mystery author disappeared from the publishing scene for 18 years. The blame came from the thought that mystery novels were starting to concentrate on sex, violence, and inappropriate language, and Braun’s light-hearted books were not welcome in this new territory. Finally, in 1986 the Berkley Publishing Group reintroduced Braun to the public with the publication of her 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.
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For The Cat Who Saw Stars:
“The Cat Who Saw Starsis Braun’s 21st Cat Who Mystery novel and she hasn’t lost her touch. Her Human characters are funny and familiar,
while the two Siamese, Koko and Yum Yum, still sparkle. Reading this book is like dropping in on old and very dear friends.”
- New York Daily News
For Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers:
“Longtime fans of LJB will devour her newest cozy like cats rolling in fresh catnip, even with numerous integral plot threads underexplored or left
completely unresolved. But with so much pivotal transition going on, devotees of this series will likely look past the lack of a satisfying
conclusion and begin impatiently awaiting the 30th book in the saga for resolution….”
- Barnes & Noble
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Although never formally stated in the books, the towns, counties and lifestyles described in The Cat Who… series are generally accepted to be a modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan (located in the “Michigan Thumb”) where Braun lived 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. Kent Rasmussen of the Library Journal sums it up, ” The true charm of these works is the marvelous sense of place that Braun evokes.