Patricia Highsmith (1921 – 1995), born in Fort Worth, Texas, grew up in Texas and New York and studied Literature and Zoology. She wrote her first short stories while still in high school and initially earned a living as a comic book writer. She had her first international hit in 1950 with her debut novel Strangers on a Train, and the film adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock catapulted her to worldwide fame. Patricia Highsmith died in Locarno in 1995.