Julian Symons (1912 - 1994) was a British crime writer and poet. He also wrote social and military history, biography and studies of literature.He was born in London in 1912 and left school at 14. He founded the poetry magazine Twentieth Century Verse in 1937, editing it for two years. In World War II he applied for recognition as an anti-capitalist conscientious objector, but ended up in the Royal Armoured Corps 1942 to 1944, when he was invalided out with a non-battle-related arm injury. After a period as an advertising copywriter, he became a full-time writer in 1947. During his career he won two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America and, in 1982, received the MWA's Grand Master Award. Symons served as the president of the Detection Club from 1976 until 1985.
Symons's 1972 book Bloody Murder: From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel (published as Mortal Consequences in the US) is one of the best-known critical works in the field of crime fiction.Symons highlighted the distinction between the classic puzzler mystery, associated with such writers as Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr, and the more modern "crime novel," which puts emphasis on psychology and motivation.
