The Cry of the Owl is based on a book by a Hungarian novelist.
Patricia Highsmith -LRB- January 19 , 1921 -- February 4 , 1995 -RRB- was an American novelist and short story writer , known for her psychological thrillers , which led to more than two dozen film adaptations .. short story writer. short story writer. psychological thrillers. psychological thrillers. Her first novel , Strangers on a Train , has been adapted for stage and screen numerous times , notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951 .. Strangers on a Train. Strangers on a Train ( novel ). Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock. Highsmith wrote 22 novels , including her series of five novels with Tom Ripley as protagonist , and many short stories .. Tom Ripley. Tom Ripley. short stories. short story. Existentialism is the literary movement that most influenced her writing , with `` Dostoyevsky and Gide through Camus and Sartre '' among her favorite authors .. Existentialism. Existentialism. Dostoyevsky. Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Gide. Andre Gide. Camus. Albert Camus. Sartre. Jean-Paul Sartre. Graham Greene described Highsmith as `` the poet of apprehension rather than fear .. Graham Greene. Graham Greene. Fear after a time ... is narcotic , it can lull one by fatigue into sleep , but apprehension nags at the nerves gently and inescapably . ''. Published under the pseudonym of `` Claire Morgan '' , Highsmith wrote the first lesbian novel with a happy ending , The Price of Salt , republished 38 years later as Carol under her own name .. The Price of Salt. The Price of Salt. lesbian novel. Lesbian literature