Earl Derr Biggers is famous (or in some circles, infamous) as the creator of the fictional Asian American detective, Charlie Chan. His earliest success, however, came as a writer of romantic mystery novels, melodramas, and stage musicals.
Biggers was born in Warren, OH, the only child of Robert J. Biggers, a Canadian immigrant and sometime laborer, store clerk, and retailer, and Emma E. Derr, of Pennsylvania. As a child just learning to write, he would compose stories incorporating comic strip characters and read them aloud to his grandmother. Biggers attended Warren High School, where in 1902 he founded a monthly literary magazine, The Cauldron. After graduating in 1903 he matriculated at Harvard with the help of a loan from his uncle, James Biggers, a local businessman.
Biggers was born…
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Citation: Rzepka, Charles. "Earl Derr Biggers". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 December 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=411, accessed 21 November 2024.]
