She was well into her career as a prolific author of historical crime fiction when a murderous past was publicly revealed and dramatized in a 1994 movie. Read more
Category: Obituaries
John Jakes, Whose Historical Novels Hit the Jackpot, Dies at 90
His sagas of the Revolution and the Civil War sold tens of millions of copies, were adapted for TV and put him in the pantheon of big-name authors. Read more
Kenzaburo Oe, Nobel Prize-Winning Japanese Writer, Dies Aged 88
Spanning fiction and essays, Oe’s work tackled a wide range of subjects from militarism and nuclear disarmament to innocence and trauma, and he became an outspoken champion for the voiceless in the face of what he regarded as his country’s failures. Regarded by some in Japan as distinctly western, Oe’s style was often likened to William Faulkner; in his own words, in his writing he would “start from my personal matters and then link it up with society, the state and the world” Read more
Russell Banks, Novelist Steeped in the Working Class, Dies at 82
He brought his own sometimes painful blue-collar experiences to bear in acclaimed stories exploring issues of race, class and power in American life. Read more
Fay Weldon, British Novelist Who Challenged Feminist Orthodoxy, Dies at 91
By turns elusive and confessional in public, she used dark satire to explore the divides between men and women. Read more
Sci-Fi Novelist Greg Bear Has Passed Away
Beginning in 1979 with Hegira and the aforementioned Psychlone, Bear would go on to write over 50 books and win five Nebula awards. Read more
Hilary Mantel, Prize-Winning Author of Historical Fiction, Dies at 70
The two-time Booker Prize-winning author was known for “Wolf Hall” and two other novels based on the life of Thomas Cromwell. Read more
Peter Straub, Literary Master of the Supernatural, Dies at 79
Peter Straub, whose literary novels of terror, mystery and the supernatural placed him in the top ranks of the horror-fiction boom of the 1970s and ’80s, alongside writers like Ira Levin, Anne Rice and his close friend and collaborator Stephen King, died on Sunday in Manhattan. He was 79. Read more
Barbara Ehrenreich, Explorer of Prosperity’s Dark Side, Dies at 81
Her book “Nickel and Dimed,” an undercover account of the indignities of being a low-wage worker in the United States, is considered a classic in social justice literature. Read more
David McCullough, Best-Selling Explorer of America’s Past, Dies at 89
His research — on Adams, Truman and so much more — was deep, his writing was lively, and his narrator’s voice in documentary films was familiar to millions. Read more
