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This week's question: Why did Patricia Highsmith have to publish "The Price of Salt" under a pseudonym?

Patricia Highsmith may not be a household name, but her novels are. She's one of the most adapted writers in Hollywood. 

Her first novel, "Strangers on a Train," was picked up by Alfred Hitchcock and fashioned into the black-and-white classic of the same name. Her later book, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" was adapted not once, but twice for the big screen. 

Her second novel, however, did not come out under the Highsmith name. "The Price of Salt" was released in 1952 under the pseudonym of Claire Morgan. Why?

Because it involved a relationship between two women. Highsmith herself had several relationships with women, but "The Price of Salt" is the only of her 22 novels to revolve around gay characters. It was deemed too risqué by her publishing house and was instead released by a small press.

That didn't diminish the book's impact: "The Price of Salt" became a sensation, selling a million copies when it was released in paperback. It was hailed as "the novel of a love society forbids," which only made society want it more. 

Fan letters poured in for Claire Morgan, thanking her for writing the book — and thanking her for having a happy ending, 

. Much of the literature of the time that involved gay characters ended in tragedy and punishment. There were many suicides or loveless marriages, but Highsmith dared to have her characters find love and hold onto it.

Despite the book's success, it took 40 years for it to be published with Highsmith's name on it. At that point, "The Price of Salt" was retitled "Carol." Part of the secrecy may have been because Highsmith didn't want her grandmother to know about the novel, according to The Guardian, though her mother told her anyway.

The novel contains several overtly autobiographical moments for Highsmith. "The Price of Salt" centers on a young saleswoman who becomes enamored with a married woman who breezes through her department store. The premise is pulled straight from Highsmith's own time as a Macy's shop girl when she found herself awestruck by a woman in a fur coat shopping for a doll.

In an afterword for a later edition of the novel, Highsmith wrote:

Whatever it was that drew her to the woman, it inspired the novel: Highsmith wrote out the entire outline in two hours that evening, battling the onset of a fever from chicken pox. She never approached the woman herself — but she did later confess to tracking down the address on the receipt and walking by the house, according to The Guardian.

Now, more than 60 years after the publication of the novel that "society forbid," "The Price of Salt" will hit theaters as "Carol." Cate Blanchett plays the title role, Rooney Mara plays her younger lover. 

The film will be released Nov. 20 — and Highsmith's name will be on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4z7Px68ywk&feature=youtu.be

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Patricia Highsmith is best known for her psychological thrillers like "Strangers on a Train" or "The Talented Mr. Ripley." But a very personal Highsmith novel, originally released under a pseudonym, will soon hit theaters.

Highsmith is best known for her psychological thrillers, but her second novel -- a very personal one -- is now headed for theaters, 60 years after it was published under a pseudonym.

Patricia Highsmith's secret novel is headed to theaters

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