Pat Conroy - The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini, dies

[kennyc]

Pat Conroy author of some of my favorite books of dysfunctional families and characters (mostly because he lived it) has died. I devoured his early books!

Pat Conroy, best-selling author of ‘Great Santini’ and ‘Prince of Tides,’ dies at 70

“One of the greatest gifts you can get as a writer,” Pat Conroy once said, “is to be born into an unhappy family.” By that measure alone, Mr. Conroy had ample training. In one best-selling novel after another, he drew on bitter memories, particularly of his despotic and abusive father, a Marine Corps fighter pilot.

“I always thanked Dad for giving me such intense pain as a child,” Mr. Conroy told The Washington Post in 1992, “so I could write about it the rest of my life.”

His experiences formed the emotional core of such books as “The Great Santini,” “The Lords of Discipline,” “The Prince of Tides” and “Beach Music,” several of which were adapted into films.

Mr. Conroy died March 4 at his home in Beaufort, S.C., at age 70. The author announced in February that he had pancreatic cancer. The death was announced by his publisher, Doubleday.

His fractured family life included an Alabama-born mother with pretensions of gentility, Mr. Conroy’s private struggles with depression, the stern discipline of a military education — and, of course, the looming shadow of his father.

His father’s real-life nickname, “The Great Santini,” became the title of Mr. Conroy’s breakthrough 1976 novel about a martinet who was a tyrant to his wife and children. His earliest memory, Mr. Conroy once said, was “of my mother trying to stab my father with a butcher knife, and Dad’s hitting her in the face.”

...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/enter...de1_story.html

Another article with some quotes/excerpts of his work:

http://www.postandcourier.com/articl...vocative-words

[Dr. Drib]

For many summers, I used to see him walking along the beach at Fripp Island. I never tried to bother him, since I respected his privacy.

He was a wonderful writer.

Time to dig out Prince of Tides again for another read.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

For many summers, I used to see him walking along the beach at Fripp Island. I never tried to bother him, since I respected his privacy.

He was a wonderful writer.

Time to dig out Prince of Tides again for another read.

Wow! Nice!
I plan to do some rereading as well!

[BenG]

I used to camp at Hunting Island but never crossed the bridge to Fripp Island since it was a gated community. I knew Conroy lived there though.

I think I've read about everything of his, except for Beach Music.

He also wrote a memoir, My Reading Life, and a cookbook.

[kennyc]

As he lay dying, Pat Conroy’s family sang the Marine Corps Hymn to him

Pat Conroy’s family eased him from this life into the next by reading poems, playing country music and singing to him. “We did sing the Marine Corps Hymn,” his sister Kathy Harvey said. “It was the only way to send him out.”
...

http://buzz.blog.ajc.com/2016/03/05/...s-hymn-to-him/

[barryem]

I've read all of his fiction and a little bit of his non-fiction. He was always one of my favorites.

I re-read "Prince of Tides" a few months ago and I have "Beach Music" on my Kindle ready to re-read. It's probably my favorite of his books. "Prince of Tides" is probably better written and a better story but "Beach Music" was somehow special to me.

Barry

[rdfry]

He overcame alot of distress in his life. It is sad to lose him.