Sombra en la noche

Por Dashiell Hammett

La Comisión de Actividades Antiamericanas, mundialmente famosa como Comisión McCarthy, se interesó especialmente por "Sombra en la noche". Durante un interrogatorio judicial, le preguntaron a Dashiell Hammett si su relato podía considerarse "propaganda comunista". El maestro de la novela policial aclaró quizás con cierto temor que solamente se trataba de una historia sobre "blancos y negros". Sobre eso y mucho más es el relato: atmósfera de peligro, color de piel como grieta de la sociedad norteamericana, y las figuras de un hombre y una mujer como protagonistas de una atracción poderosa.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: MB Cooltura
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 29 mar 2020
• ISBN: 9789877443486

Dashiell Hammett

Samuel Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his "hard-boiled" detective fiction and the iconic characters he created for his books, including the Continental Op (Red Harvest and the Dain Curse), Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), and Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man). Hammett is considered one of the finest mystery/detective writers of the 20th century. As a young man, Hammett signed up to be an operative for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, but the agency's role in strike-breaking soured Hammett to Pinkerton and he joined the Army in 1918 and served in World War I. While in the Army, Hammett contracted tuberculosis and the ill-effects of his consumption would plague Hammett for the rest of his life. In 1922, Hammett began to publish short stories in some of the popular mystery magazines of the era, particularly Black Mask, for whom he wrote a number of stories featuring his nameless private investigator, the Continental Op. He began producing these stories at a furious rate, eventually expanding into novels - Red Harvest and The Dain Curse - which he serialized in Black Mask prior to publication. In 1930, Hammett wrote The Maltese Falcon, which featured Sam Spade, one of the most popular characters in all of detective fiction. Then, in 1934, Hammett topped himself, creating Nick and Nora Charles, the protagonists of the wildly popular book The Thin Man. Both would later be adapted into successful motion pictures, the latter spawning five sequels. Once Hammett moved to Hollywood and began writing screenplays, his fiction writing almost entirely ceased. His activism in left-wing politics would eventually lead to Hammett being placed on the "blacklist." Hammett's career troubles were exacerbated by his alcoholism and his drinking, in turn, worsened his health. He died of lung cancer in 1961.Despite his life and career struggles later in life, Dashiell Hammett is still considered one of the greatest mystery writers of all time and his work proved to be an inspiration to an entire generation of young authors from Ernest Hemingway to Raymond Chandler and many others.

Vista previa del libro

Sombra en la noche

Un sedán con los faroles apagados estaba parado en la acera más arriba del puente de Piney Falls. Cuando lo adelanté, una chica asomó la cabeza por la ventanilla y dijo:

—Por favor…

Aunque su tono era urgente, no tenía la suficiente energía como para oírse desesperado o estridente.

Frené y di marcha atrás. Mientras hacía esta maniobra, un tipo se bajó del coche. A pesar de la débil luz vi que se trataba de un joven corpulento. Señaló en la dirección que yo llevaba y dijo:

—Sigue tu camino, amigo.

—Por favor, ¿quieres llevarme a la ciudad? —preguntó la chica. Parecía tratar de abrir la puerta del sedán. El sombrero le cubría un ojo.

—Encantado —respondí.