Ira Levin

Ira Levin’s Followers (1,544)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo

Ira Levin


Born
in The Bronx, New York City, New York, The United States
August 27, 1929

Died
November 12, 2007

Genre


Levin graduated from the Horace Mann School and New York University, where he majored in philosophy and English.

After college, he wrote training films and scripts for television.

Levin's first produced play was No Time for Sergeants (adapted from Mac Hyman's novel), a comedy about a hillbilly drafted into the United States Air Force that launched the career of Andy Griffith. The play was turned into a movie in 1958, and co-starred Don Knotts, Griffith's long-time co-star and friend. No Time for Sergeants is generally considered the precursor to Gomer Pyle, USMC.

Levin's first novel, A Kiss Before Dying, was well received, earning him the 1954 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. A Kiss Before Dying was turned into a movie twice, first in 1956,
...more

Average rating: 3.97 · 263,628 ratings · 16,635 reviews · 70 distinct worksSimilar authors
Rosemary’s Baby (Rosemary's...

4.04 avg rating — 144,353 ratings — published 1967 — 16 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Stepford Wives

by
3.85 avg rating — 43,755 ratings — published 1972 — 145 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Boys from Brazil

4.06 avg rating — 39,053 ratings — published 1976 — 152 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
A Kiss Before Dying

by
3.99 avg rating — 12,921 ratings — published 1953 — 76 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
This Perfect Day

3.99 avg rating — 10,020 ratings — published 1970 — 89 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Sliver

3.21 avg rating — 3,857 ratings — published 1991 — 35 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Deathtrap: A Thriller in Tw...

4.02 avg rating — 3,061 ratings — published 1978 — 14 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Son of Rosemary

2.54 avg rating — 4,625 ratings — published 1997 — 25 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Veronica's Room

4.12 avg rating — 1,339 ratings — published 1974 — 15 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Rosemary's Baby / Son of Ro...

3.43 avg rating — 160 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
More books by Ira Levin…
Rosemary’s Baby Son of Rosemary
(2 books)
by
3.99 avg rating — 149,104 ratings

Related News

  When you want a book recommendation for a scary story, you’re better off going right to the source: authors of scary stories.   As part...
330 likes · 29 comments
  Connoisseurs of horror fiction can tell you: The genre is much more sophisticated and generous than its reputation might suggest. There...
315 likes · 79 comments
In Alyssa Cole’s unnerving social thriller When No One is Watching, Sydney Green returns to Brooklyn after a traumatic breakup to find...
62 likes · 0 comments
Quotes by Ira Levin  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Anyone who needs more than one suitcase is a tourist, not a traveler”
Ira Levin, Rosemary’s Baby

“Being happy or unhappy - is that really the most important thing? Knowing the truth would be a different kind of happiness - a more satisfying kind, I think, even if it turned out to be a sad kind.”
Ira Levin, This Perfect Day

“Like so many unhappinesses, this one had begun with silence in the place of honest open talk.”
Ira Levin, Rosemary's Baby

Polls

June 2017 New School Classic Poll

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, 351 pgs, 1905
 
  49 votes, 15.1%

The Color Purple by Alice Walker, 295 pgs, 1982
 
  45 votes, 13.8%

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, 218 pgs, 1996
 
  42 votes, 12.9%

 
  24 votes, 7.4%

My Ántonia by Willa Cather, 232 pgs, 1918
 
  22 votes, 6.8%

The Godfather by Mario Puzo, 448, 1969
 
  19 votes, 5.8%

 
  16 votes, 4.9%

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, 308 pgs, 1967
 
  16 votes, 4.9%

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, 231 pgs, 1939
 
  13 votes, 4.0%

Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence, 654 pgs, 1913
 
  13 votes, 4.0%

 
  12 votes, 3.7%

 
  11 votes, 3.4%

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, 418 pgs, 1931
 
  10 votes, 3.1%

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute, 359 pgs, 1950
 
  10 votes, 3.1%

 
  8 votes, 2.5%

 
  7 votes, 2.2%

Titanic by Filson Young, 236 pgs, 1912
 
  5 votes, 1.5%

 
  3 votes, 0.9%

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
100+ Books in 2024: Diane's 100 for 2009 21 183 Sep 09, 2009 05:54AM  
The Next Best Boo...: Books That Made You Think 74 832 Sep 19, 2009 07:30PM  
The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. FALL CHALLENGE 2009 COMPLETED TASKS 3942 2749 Nov 30, 2009 09:01PM  
Read 150+ Books a...: Diane's 150 of 2009 (163) 47 254 Dec 31, 2009 06:10AM