1/8/1824 WIlkie Collins is born

January 8, 1824.  Wilkie Collins was born on this day in London. His novels The Woman In White and The Moonstone bridged the gap between gothic novels and mysteries and are usually ranked among the first detective fiction.

In 1889 he disappeared into his beard and was never seen again.  Sorry, I made that part up.

11/11/1821 Dostoevsky is born

November 11, 1821.  Fyodor Dostoevsky was born in Moscow on this date.  He's considered a great mainstream writer, but he has certain claims on the mystery genre.  For example, Crime and Punishment, one of the first reverse mysteries, in which we follow the criminal rather than the detective.  Second, that very detective, Porfiry, the polite police officer who served as a model for television's Columbo.  And don't forget The Brothers Karamazov, a novel featuring a murder in which (spoiler alert) the butler did it.