Jim Thompson

Jim Thompson was born in Anadarko, Oklahoma, the son of a county sheriff. His family relocated to Texas during his childhood. His first short stories were published in his teen years. As a hotel worker, he had access to bootleg liquor and drugs, and he smoked and drank heavily. At 19 he had a nervous breakdown. In 1926 he took work in an oil field laborer, then returned to Fort Worth to to attend school and write. In 1929 he …