Although West was not widely known during his life, his reputation grew after his death, especially with the publication of his collected novels by New Directions in 1957. "Miss Lonelyhearts" is widely regarded as West's masterpiece. "Day of the Locust" was made into a film which came out in 1975, starring Donald Sutherland and Karen Black. Likewise "Miss Lonelyhearts" (1933) saw production in film (1933, 1958, 1983), stage (1957), and operatic (2006) versions; and the character "Miss Lonelyhearts" in Hitchcock's film "Rear Window" has parallels to West's work.