Roger L. Simon

Roger L. Simon
Name	Roger L. Simon
Birth date	1943
Birth place	New York City
Occupation	Novelist, screenwriter, journalist, film producer
Notable works	The Moses Wine series, The Big Fix (novel), The Big Fix (film), L.A. Story
Awards	Edgar Award nominations

Roger L. Simon is an American novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and film producer known for co-creating the character Moses Wine and for screenplays adapted into films. He has been active in literature, cinema, and political commentary, interacting with figures and institutions across Hollywood, New York City, Los Angeles, and international cultural scenes. Simon's career spans collaborations with filmmakers, novelists, publishers, and media outlets.

Early life and education

Roger L. Simon was born in New York City and raised amid the cultural milieu of Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area. He attended schools that connected him to literary traditions associated with Columbia University and the City College of New York milieu, while coming of age during the era of the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. Early influences included exposure to authors and playwrights linked to Beat Generation figures, Arthur Miller, and the postwar American novelists in the tradition of Norman Mailer and Philip Roth.

Career

Simon began his professional life in publishing and journalism, moving between New York City and Los Angeles. He entered the world of crime fiction with a novel that introduced private investigator Moses Wine, connecting him to the lineage of fictional detectives including Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Inspector Morse, Columbo, and contemporaries such as Michael Connelly and Sara Paretsky. His novels were published by houses associated with Random House, Simon & Schuster, and independent presses linked to editors from Knopf and Farrar, Straus and Giroux. In parallel, Simon worked in Hollywood with producers and directors tied to studios like Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., and independent companies frequenting the Sundance Film Festival circuit. He contributed criticism and commentary to periodicals and outlets including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Commentary (magazine), and online platforms engaging figures such as Andrew Sullivan, Noam Chomsky, and Christopher Hitchens.

Film and television work

Simon transitioned to screenwriting and film production, writing screenplays adapted into films that connected him with directors and actors from the Hollywood mainstream and independent scenes. His screenplay for a novel adaptation led to collaboration with director Joseph Sargent and actors like Richard Dreyfuss and Gene Hackman in projects that circulated at venues such as the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. He co-wrote or produced films that involved studios including MGM and 20th Century Fox, and worked with producers associated with Robert Evans, Barry Diller, and executives who partnered with companies such as Sony Pictures Classics and Miramax. Simon also engaged with television writers' rooms linked to series development at networks like NBC, ABC, CBS, and emerging cable channels such as HBO and Showtime during the rise of prestige television.

Literary works and themes

Simon is best known for his Moses Wine detective novels, which place a sardonic, intellectual investigator in settings juxtaposing Los Angeles culture, the Hollywood film industry, and political controversies of the late twentieth century. His fiction explores themes resonant with authors such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Joseph Heller, John le Carré, and Don DeLillo, including moral ambiguity, identity, and political disillusionment reflective of events like the Watergate scandal, the Iran-Contra affair, and shifts traced to the Reagan administration. Simon's novels and essays engage with cultural debates involving commentators like Norman Podhoretz, Susan Sontag, H.L. Mencken, and modern critics in publications including The New Republic and Harper's Magazine. His storytelling intersects crime fiction traditions, postmodern narrative strategies, and sociopolitical satire in the manner of Elmore Leonard and Tom Wolfe.

Political views and activism

Simon has been a prominent political commentator, moving through ideological circles that brought him into conversation with public intellectuals, journalists, and political actors. His viewpoints evolved amid interactions with figures such as Benjamin Netanyahu, Ariel Sharon, and analysts from think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, and the Heritage Foundation. He wrote for and founded online publications connected to media entrepreneurs and commentators in networks that included The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and digital platforms associated with PJ Media and other commentary sites. Simon engaged in debates on Israel–Palestine conflict policy, civil liberties advocacy tied to organizations like the ACLU, and national security matters discussed in venues featuring analysts such as Fareed Zakaria, Thomas Friedman, and Bret Stephens.

Personal life and legacy

Simon’s personal life has intersected with creative and political communities in Los Angeles and New York City, including friendships and collaborations with novelists, filmmakers, and journalists. His influence appears in the work of crime writers, screenwriters, and commentators who followed his blending of detective fiction with political critique, aligning him with literary and cinematic traditions that trace back to Hardboiled fiction and American postwar culture. Institutions that archive modern American letters, film history, and media criticism—such as university collections at UCLA, USC School of Cinematic Arts, and the Library of Congress—recognize the cultural footprint of writers and filmmakers of Simon’s generation.

Category:American novelists Category:American screenwriters