Rex Stout was an American author who achieved lasting fame in the genre of detective fiction. He is best remembered as the creator of the brilliant, eccentric detective Nero Wolfe and his quick-witted assistant Archie Goodwin. The duo debuted in the 1934 novel Fer-de-Lance and went on to feature in 33 novels and 39 novellas or short stories published over a span of four decades. Stout's Nero Wolfe corpus earned widespread acclaim, culminating in nominations for Best Mystery Series of the Century and Best Mystery Writer of the Century at the Bouchercon XXXI convention. In 1959, he was also honored with the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award.\n\nBeyond his literary achievements, Stout was a highly active public intellectual and advocate. He played a role in the early years of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and helped found the Vanguard Press. During World War II, he served as the head of the Writers' War Board and became a well-known radio personality. Later in life, he promoted world federalism and dedicated significant effort to protecting authors' rights. He served as the long-time president of the Authors Guild, where he lobbied for stronger copyright laws, and served a term as president of the Mystery Writers of America in 1958.
