Basil Frederick Albert Copper (born February 5, 1924 and died on April 3, 2013) was an English writer and former journalist and newspaper editor. He became a full-time writer in 1970. In addition to horror and detective fiction, Copper was perhaps best known for his series of Solar Pons stories continuing the character created as a tribute to Sherlock Holmes by August Derleth. Copper also wrote the long-running novel series featuring hard-boiled Los Angeles private detective "Mike Faraday" (58 novels from 1966 to 1988). Copper's work has been translated into many languages, reprinted in leading anthologies and filmed for television by Universal Pictures.[5] The TV adaptation was of his well-known macabre story "Camera Obscura", filmed as an episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery in 1971.
Copper received many honors in recent years. In 1979, the Mark Twain Society of America elected him a Knight of Mark Twain for his outstanding "contribution to modern fiction", while the Praed Street Irregulars have twice honoured him for his work on the Solar Pons series. He has been a member of the Crime Writer's Association for over thirty years, serving as chairman in 1981-82 and on its committee for a total of seven years. At the 2010 World Horror Convention in Brighton, he was awarded the first WHC Lifetime Achievement Award. He died in April, 2013.
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