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In Memoriam: The Writers Lost in 2020
Remembering the best, brightest, and most beloved authors who passed this year.
Publicat la 16 Iunie 2023
The Constant Gardener: A Novel
John le CarréJohn le Carré beautifully captures devastating loss and the intense hunt for answers in this novel-turned-Academy-Award-winning film. Le Carré (legal name David Cornwell) died December 12 at the age of 89 from pneumonia.
Mars
Ben Bova“A bulging, impressive, all-you-ever-wanted-to-know, you-are-there Martian odyssey, from the veteran writer-editor (Cyberbooks, Voyagers, etc.). In about the year 2020, a huge multinational project gets under way, the bulk of it seen through the eyes of young Navaho geologist and Mars-voyage hopeful Jamie Waterman,” according to the Kirkus review of “Mars” by Ben Bova from 1992. On November 29, 2020, Bova passed away due to complications from COVID-19 and a stroke.
The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life
Alex TrebekBeloved “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek died November 8 at age 80. In his memoir, the charming, avuncular Trebek shares his life stories, offering a deeper understanding of the man viewers invited into their lives every weeknight for generations.
Stillhouse Lake
Rachel CaineProlific genre fiction novelist Rachel Caine passed away on November 1 from soft tissue sarcoma. “Stillhouse Lake” became a wildly popular mystery about a woman whose ex-husband is a convicted serial killer; it’s the start of a series, and a new entry will be published posthumously in early 2021.
My Own Words
Ruth Bader GinsburgJustice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, died on September 18 of cancer. Her memoir showcases her brilliant mind, as well as the cultural and political forces that shaped her approach to the bench. This is essential reading for those who want to know about one of the most influential judges in recent memory.
Wizard's First Rule
Terry GoodkindTerry Goodkind had dyslexia, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a well-regarded and widely-read fantasy novelist. “Wizard’s First Rule” kicked off his popular “The Sword of Truth” saga, where Richard Cypher and crew have to protect the Old World and the New World from evil forces. Goodkind died September 17 at the age of 72.
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory
David GraeberInfluential anthropologist and anarchist David Graeber — famous for coining Occupy Wall Street’s slogan “the 99 percent” and the phrase “bullshit jobs” — died September 2 from necrotic pancreatitis. In “Bullshit Jobs,” he argues “that most white-collar jobs were meaningless and that technological advances had led to people working more, not less,” according to The Guardian’s obituary.
North River
Pete HamillNovelist and journalist Pete Hamill died at age 85 on August 5. He was a writer that inhabited the best parts of his generation: “He was one of the few living inheritors of a time when literary ambition and seriousness routinely intersected with tabloid energy and grit, when it was taken for granted that writing everywhere, reading everything, and drinking hard while you did it could be — hell, oughta be — aspects of a single life,” Adam Gopnik wrote in The New Yorker. This novel about 1930s New York shows just how much Hamill loved the City of Dreams.
The Keepers of the House
Shirley Ann GrauPulitzer Prize-winning author Shirley Ann Grau died at age 91 on August 3 after complications from a stroke. Her novel, “The Keepers of the House,” won the Pulitzer in 1965 for its exploration of how racism became so rooted in the Deep South. “Grau said Ku Klux Klan members, angry over the book amid the heat of the civil rights movement, tried to burn a cross on her yard in Metairie, a New Orleans suburb,” according to a Los Angeles Times obituary.
Love, Death & Rare Books
Robert HellengaLauded novelist Robert Hellenga passed on July 18 from neuroendocrine cancer at age 78. His last book, “Love, Death & Rare Books,” hits very close to the heart in these trying times: It follows Gabe Johnson, a man who inherits a rare bookstore, as he’s rocked by the rise in digital books and the loss of a great love.
Lost in the Solar System
Joanna ColeJoanna Cole, author of the iconic Magic School Bus series, died July 12 from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The Magic School Bus series has been a staple of children’s literature and TV for decades, teaching science with humor while on fantastical adventures.
Montgomery Clift: A Biography
Patricia BosworthActress and writer Patricia Bosworth was a larger than life figure. After spending years performing on Broadway, Bosworth shifted to writing celebrity biographies and contributing to Vanity Fair and Nation magazine. According to a Los Angeles Times article, “Her skill lay in turning private explorations of public people into mysteries of a sort. The reader discovers these fascinating folks along with her. And because Bosworth had some personal experiences with her subjects, the books feel like a genre of their own.” Bosworth died April 2 from COVID-19.
Strega Nona
Tomie dePaolaBeloved author and illustrator Tomie dePaola bewitched generations of children (and their parents) with more than 270 books, including stories of a kindly witch (and an overflowing pot of pasta) in his Strega Nona series. DePaola died March 30 at the age of 85.
Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II
Richard ReevesJournalist and author Richard Reeves chronicled the ups and downs of recent US history. This book is a much-needed account of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, one of the darkest times in American history. Reeves died March 25 at age 83.
Bandit: A Daughter's Memoir
Molly BrodakMolly Brodak was a celebrated poet and memoirist. In this raw account of her childhood, she explores how growing up with an addicted gambler and serial bank robber for a father affected her family deeply. It’s a rare glimpse into the quieter aspects of a life of high crime. Brodak died March 8.
Serpent: A Novel from the NUMA files
Clive CusslerAdventurer and author Clive Cussler died February 24 at the age of 88. Cussler is known for his mix of maritime history and fantastical mayhem in his writing. In line with his larger-than-life stories and personality, Cussler founded the nonprofit National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) that has uncovered over 60 significant shipwrecks. In his novels, NUMA is a fictional government agency that employs many of his beloved characters.
True Grit
Charles Portis“True Grit” became an American cult classic thanks to its beloved narrator, the 14-year-old Mattie Ross, its dry sense of humor, and two critically acclaimed film adaptations, one starring John Wayne, the other Jeff Bridges. Author Charles Portis died February 17 at the age of 86.
Papa Hemingway: A Personal Memoir
A.E. HotchnerEditor, playwright, and biographer A.E. Hotchner lived a full life before he died at age 102 on February 15. Hotchner had many famous friends that became the subjects of his writings, most significantly Ernest Hemingway, as Hotchner wrote multiple books about the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. This biography chronicles their personal and professional relationship from its start in 1948 to Hemingway’s death in 1961.
The Boys of Summer: The Classic Narrative of Growing Up Within Shouting Distance of Ebbets Field, Covering the Jackie Robinson Dodgers, and What's Happened to Everybody Since
The Boys of Summer: The Classic Narrative of Growing Up Within Shouting Distance of Ebbets Field, Covering the Jackie Robinson Dodgers, and What's Happened to Everybody Since
Roger KahnAuthor Roger Kahn elevated sports writing with his baseball books, especially his influential (and beloved) “The Boys of Summer,” THE classic World Series story. Feuds, curses, and edge-of-your-seat ball games culminate in a series for the ages with the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers facing down their archivals, the New York Yankees. Kahn died February 6 at age 92.
I Am Spartacus!: Making a Film, Breaking the Blacklist
Kirk DouglasIconic actor Kirk Douglas was also a prolific author. In his intimate memoir “I Am Spartacus!” (narrated by his son Michael Douglas), Kirk details his experience as star and producer of the epic film, as well as his risky decision to publicly credit blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Douglas died February 5 at age 103.
Where Are the Children?
Mary Higgins ClarkMary Higgins Clark, the “Queen of Suspense,” died January 31, at the age of 92. She wrote nearly 60 mystery novels in her lifetime, and ever since her start in the mid-1970s with “Where Are the Children?,” all became bestsellers. Prepare to stay up until the early morning, desperate to find out the next twist in this story about a mother’s dark past.
The Mamba Mentality: How I Play
Kobe BryantKobe’s tragic death on January 26 had the world thinking a lot about his legacy, both on and off the court. Remember him through this insightful memoir about the way he played the game, which includes terrific photos of The Black Mamba at his best.
The Children Of Húrin
J. R. R. TolkienChristopher Tolkien, son of J.R.R. Tolkien, died January 15 at the age of 95. Christopher dedicated much of his time to his father’s unfinished works, editing some (like “The Children of Húrin”) and shepherding them to publication to add to the tapestry of Middle-earth.
Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America
Elizabeth WurtzelElizabeth Wurtzel’s best-selling 1994 memoir, “Prozac Nation,” sparked a national conversation about clinical depression and mental health. The journalist and author died January 7 at age 52 of metastatic breast cancer.