Posted on 07/21/2015 9:34:31 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The National Book Award-winning author of Ragtime and Billy Bathgate, E.L. Doctorow, died Tuesday in New York, his family said. He was 84.
The author's son, Richard, told The New York Times his father died of complications from lung cancer. Doctorow's agent, Ron Bernstein, confirmed the news to the Los Angeles Times.
Doctorow was known for writing historical fiction in the form of a dozen novels, three volumes of short fiction and a stage drama. He also wrote essays on literature and politics. He won the National Book Award for his novel, Ragtime, which was later adapted into a Broadway musical.
His most recent novel, Andrew's Brain, was published in 2014.
I think RAGTIME was the equivalent of Billy Joel’s WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE. Evoke an event or events and call it literature or music with a historic message. It’s all a meaningless mélange when done like this, like a phantasmorgic dream.
Loved ‘Ragtime.’
R.I.P.
Yep—as was the musical, due to his meddling.
The 1981 film was good until it started veering off into social justice territory.
Joel has called that the single worst song he’s ever written and recorded.
I remember reading Ragtime as a young teen. I enjoyed it back then.
IIRC, it was about the same time as Hamlisch’s “The Sting” recordings of Joplin’s rags.
RIP.
Well, if you read the book, that’s really what it was all about. But it wasn’t a good book. It’s success was the typical type of Liberal one where you succeed by saying what all the other Liberals are saying.
RIP.
Interesting. It was more a pop novel. It reached a large audience and was one of the last novels to really create a sensation.
The other stuff I saw by Doctorow, The Waterworks and The March wasn't even that good. E.L. was more of an "ideas" writer rather than one who created vivid characters -- and most of his ideas weren't that fresh either.
Anyway, RIP.
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