About the author

Max Marcin (1879–1948) was an American playwright and screenwriter. His work spanned both the stage and the screen, and he contributed to a number of Broadway plays and film scripts, making him one of the writers active in the American entertainment industry in the first half of the twentieth century. One of his works is held in this collection, The Substitute Prisoner, which reflects his interest in narrative built around suspense and dramatic tension. Public information about Marcin's life is limited; details of his early years, education, and creative process are largely unavailable, and the existing record centers mainly on his professional identity as a playwright and screenwriter and on the small number of works that have survived. His writing is noted for its dramatic structure and his ability to build suspense and advance conflict within a limited space, skills that carried over into his screenwriting. Although the scale and influence of his output cannot rival those of the leading names of his time, his plays and screenwriting remain a useful case for studying American popular theater and the early film industry in the early twentieth century.

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Publishers

Project Gutenberg