James T. Farrell was born Chicago, Illinois on February 27, 1904. He attended the University of Chicago, but left before graduating. During his lifetime, he publish more than 50 books, including 28 novels and 16 collections of short stories. He is the author of the Studs Lonigan Trilogy, the Danny O'Neill Pentalogy, The Bernard Carr Trilogy, and The Universe of Time series featuring Eddie Ryan. He died on August 22, 1979.