Ellery Queen is a pseudonym for two cousins named Manfred Lee and Frederic Dannay, who were both born in Brooklyn in 1905. Lee would eventually have seven children and Dannay would have three. Through hard work and cooperation these authors created several prominent mystery stories. The men started writing after entering a mystery writing contest for amusement when they were younger, and to their surprise, won! That very writing contest aided them in creating some of the greatest mystery books and the organization, “Mystery Writers of America.”
Both authors went to the Brooklyn Boys High School. Lee went to New York University for college, while Dannay did not study at a college or university. Initially, Lee worked for multiple motion picture companies before starting his writing career. Dannay, however, had multiple occupations including advertising, a copywriter, an art director, and worked for various advertising agencies as an account executive. After their original careers, Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee started successful careers in literature.
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These titles included The Greek Coffin Mystery, Cat of Many Tails, and The Tragedy of X. Their books were considered fair play mysteries; therefore, the readers could solve the mystery. Most of their publications were short stories. They won various awards, including the Grand Master award. In fact, they even won the Edgar Allen Poe Ring, which at their time, only four other mystery authors had received. The pseudonym “Ellery Queen” will pursue as one of the greatest mystery authors of all