Pulp Fiction

Pulp fiction is a literary style that started around 1920 in the US and lasted until approximately 1945. The trend spawned works of fiction that were campy, overly sensational and yet highly titillating. The common critique of this kind of fiction was that it was sub-par and not professional-quality writing. However, the genre has inspired numerous writers to create cult classics and has even influenced a film of the same name.

Famous Pulp Writers
Pulp fiction came in book and magazine form during this time. Pulp magazines were often stuffed from cover to cover with short pulp stories and some illustrations. Tough guy detectives characterized these stories, along with the traditional damsel-in-distress type plots. As well, loads of adventure and excitement were typical of pulp works from this time. Modern pulp now is known for more science fiction or mystery elements.

Clever plots and adventurous heroes littered the nearly dozen or so pulp classics during the early to mid 1900s. Black Mask was an early and influential magazine that featured extremely rough stories. This style of pulp fiction became known as "hard-boiled" and included famous writers like Dashiell Hammett and William F. Nolan.

Some pulp fiction is known for a very sinister atmosphere and crimes that would be impossible to commit. This collection of "impossible crimes" includes stories from authors such as Cornell Woolrich and Douglas G. Greene. "escapist" pulp stories were also popular in the 1930s. These featured lighter plots with tales like "The Amazing Adventures of Lester Lieth."