She was born in Texas on January 19, 1921. In 1927, she moved to New York with her family. She completed her university education there. She was an atheist. She strongly criticized America's cultural structure and foreign policy in the 20th century. Highsmith wrote suspense, psychological thriller, crime fiction, romance novels and she received many awards. In 1921, she dedicated her book, “The Talented Mr. Ripley Deep Water” to the courage of the Palestinian people and the struggle of the Kurdish people. Highsmith died on February 4, 1995, at 74, from a combination of aplastic anemia and lung cancer at Carita hospital in Locarno, Switzerland.