 meyer levin (october 7, 1905 â july 9, 1981) was an american novelist, known for his work on the leopold and loeb case and the writing of the diary of a young girl. meyer wrote the 1956 novel compulsion inspired by the leopold and loeb case. the novel, for which levin was given a special edgar award by the mystery writers of america in 1957, was the basis for levin's own 1957 play adaptation and the 1959 film based on it, starring orson welles. compulsion was "the first 'documentary' or 'non-fiction novel' ("a style later used in truman capote's in cold blood and norman mailer's the executioner's song")."meyer levin's compulsion": article by steve powell in "the venetian vase of september 21, 2012 ==bibliography== ===novels=== *the reporter (1929) *frankie and johnny (1930) *yehuda (1931) *the golden mountain: marvelous tales of rabbi israel baal shem and of his great-grandson, rabbi nachman, retold from hebrew, yiddish and german sources (1932) *the new bridge (1933) *the old bunch (1937) *citizens (1940) *my father's house (1947) *compulsion (1956) *eva (1959) *the fanatic (1964) *the stronghold (1965) *gore and igor (1968) *the settlers (1972) *the spell of time (1974) *the harvest (1978) *the architect (1981), (fictionalized life of frank lloyd wright) ===autobiographical works=== *in search (1949) *the obsession (1974). ===judaica=== *beginnings in jewish philosophy *the story of israel *an israel haggadah for passover *the story of the synagogue *the story of the jewish way of life ==see also== *gabriel levin ==references==  ==external links== * *an article about the illegals  {{persondata |name= levin, meyer |alternative names= |short description= novelist, non-fiction writer, religious writer |date of birth= october 7, 1905 |place of birth
1905_births 1981_deaths 20th-century_American_novelists American_crime_fiction_writers American_journalists American_religious_writers Edgar_Award_winners Jewish_American_novelists University_of_Chicago_alumni Writers_from_Chicago,_Illinois