The author of the novel 'The Big Sleep' is Raymond CHANDLER, an American novelist and screenwriter. He was born in Chicago in 1888 and moved to Los Angeles in 1912. He began writing fiction in 1933 and published his first novel, The Big Sleep, in 1939. CHANDLER wrote seven novels and numerous short stories featuring the private detective Philip Marlowe. His work has been adapted into films, television shows, and radio dramas.