Bill Pronzini to Be Honored as Grand Master by Mystery Writers of America at the 2008 Edgar(R) Awards Banquet

    NEW YORK, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Author Bill Pronzini has
 been selected to receive the coveted title of Grand Master, Mystery Writers
 of America's (MWA's) highest honor bestowed on an individual. He will be
 honored at the 62nd Annual Edgar(R) Awards banquet on Thursday May 1, 2008
 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. The "Edgars," as they are
 commonly known, are named after Mystery Writers of America's patron saint,
 Edgar Allan Poe, and are awarded to authors of distinguished works in more
 than a dozen categories.
 
     The annual Grand Master Award represents the supreme level of
 achievement in the mystery field and was established to acknowledge
 important contributions to the genre, as well as significant output of
 consistently high-quality material.
 
     "Bill Pronzini is not only a passionate author and reader of crime
 fiction - he is also one of the most ardent proponents of the genre," said
 Daniel J. Hale, Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America.
 "For forty years he has distinguished himself with consistently
 high-quality writing and editing in all areas of the field, including
 creating one of the longest lasting detective series ever."
 
     Bill Pronzini started down his path toward the Grand Master in 1969,
 when he embarked upon his professional writing career. Since then, Pronzini
 has experienced a prolific career, penning more than 70 novels and
 non-fiction books, including 32 novels in his popular "Nameless Detective"
 series and three novels written in collaboration with his wife Marcia
 Muller (MWA's 2005 Grand Master).
 
     Pronzini is no stranger to critical acclaim for his achievements. He is
 a six-time Edgar(R) nominee, including a nomination in 1987 with his wife
 Marcia Muller for Best Critical Biographical Work, "1001 Midnights: The
 Aficionados Guide to Mystery Fiction". He is also a recipient of three
 Shamus awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye
 Writers of America. Pronzini's suspense novel, Snowbound, was the recipient
 of the Grand Prix de la Litterature Policiere as the best crime novel
 published in France in 1988.
 
     Pronzini joins a notable list of previous Grand Masters. Past
 recipients of this distinguished Award also include: Stephen King, Ira
 Levin, Mary Higgins Clark, Donald Westlake, Lawrence Block, P.D. James,
 Ellery Queen, Daphne du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock, Graham Greene, and
 Agatha Christie.
 
     Mystery Writers of America is the premier organization for mystery
 writers, professionals allied to the crime writing field, aspiring crime
 writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. The organization
 encompasses almost 3,000 members in three categories of membership that
 include publishers, editors, literary agents, and screen and television
 writers, as well as authors of fiction and non-fiction books. For more
 information on Mystery Writers of America, please visit the website:
 www.mysterywriters.org
 
 
     The EDGAR (and logo) are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark
 Office by the Mystery Writers of America, Inc.
 
 
 

SOURCE Mystery Writers of America