E. L. Doctorow dies.

[kennyc]

Such a loss!

E.L. Doctorow, Literary Time Traveler Who Stirred the Past Into Fiction, Dies at 84

E. L. Doctorow, a leading figure in contemporary American letters whose popular, critically admired and award-winning novels — including “Ragtime,” “Billy Bathgate” and “The March” — situated fictional characters in recognizable historical contexts, among identifiable historical figures and often within unconventional narrative forms, died on Tuesday in Manhattan. He was 84 and had homes in Manhattan and Sag Harbor, N.Y.

The cause was complications from lung cancer, his son, Richard, said.

The author of a dozen novels, three volumes of short fiction and a stage drama, as well as essays and commentary on literature and politics, Mr. Doctorow was widely lauded for the originality, versatility and audacity of his imagination.
.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/22/bo...ies-at-84.html

[Bookworm_Girl]

This is sad news. The Literary Club recently read Ragtime, and I really enjoyed it.

[ElspethB]

Ragtime is one of my all-time favorite novels, one I've reread several times. It's the basis for one of my favorite musicals, as well. Several years ago my son played "The Little Boy" in an excellent community theater production, and I still enjoy listening to the Broadway cast album. World's Fair was another novel of his I enjoyed, though not as much as Ragtime.

For some reason, I was convinced that he was the father of Cory Doctorow, but after reading his obituary, I see I was mistaken.

[Dr. Drib]

Here's a list of awards, as noted, taken from Wiki:


1975: National Book Critics Circle Award for Ragtime
1986: National Book Award for World's Fair[7]
1989: National Book Critics Circle Award for Billy Bathgate
1989: Edith Wharton Citation of Merit for Fiction[8]
1990: PEN/Faulkner Award for Billy Bathgate
1990: William Dean Howells Medal for Billy Bathgate
1998: National Humanities Medal from the National Endowment for the Humanities[9][10]
1998: Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award from the Tulsa Library Trust
2005: National Book Critics Circle Award for The March
2006: PEN/Faulkner Award for The March
2012: Inducted into the New York Writers Hall of Fame
2012: PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction
2013: Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation[11]
2013: American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Fiction
2014: Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction[12]

[HarryT]

Any relation to Cory Doctorow? It's an unusual name (or, to be more precise, a name that I personally haven't encountered anywhere else).

[murg]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Any relation to Cory Doctorow? It's an unusual name (or, to be more precise, a name that I personally haven't encountered anywhere else).

Look two posts up from yours.

[HarryT]

Thanks!

[RonPrice]

THANKING E.L. DOCTOROW

Part 2:
...
Doctorow has not been part of my literary life in the more than 60 years since I began to spend a great deal of my time with printed matter...
...
Irrelevant nonsense deleted by moderator

Part 17,826:
...
His books taught me much, and he will be missed.--President Obama, 22/7/’15.

[doubleshuffle]

Originally Posted by RonPrice

[...] Doctorow has not been part of my literary life in the more than 60 years since I began to spend a great deal of my time with printed matter, and in his career which spans 50 years. I have one book in my possession which he had published in 1984: Lives of the Poets. But it is a book I have yet to read [...]

What a brilliant basis for an endless "Doctorow and Me" post! Calling for all MRers who haven't read anything by Doctorow to chime in: Who can write the longest post about Doctorow and themselves? I have read one or two of his short stories and I've seen the Ragtime film, so I am not qualified...

[4691mls]

(meant to quote doubleshuffle here but screwed up)

hmmm.... I don't think I've read any of his books... what would you (not) like to know about me? ha