News / Arts

American author E.L. Doctorow passes away at 84

Wednesday, 22 July 2015 5:19 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 22 July 2015 5:19 AM ]

American author E.L. Doctorow died at the age of 84.

Acclaimed American author E.L. Doctorow has passed away at the age of 84, due to complications from lung cancer.

Edgar Lawrence Doctorow's son, Richard, said his father had died at a hospital in New York on Tuesday.

The award-winning writer was known for his works of historical fiction and nonfiction.

Doctorow wrote award-winning books including his 1975 Ragtime, which was later adapted into a film and a Broadway musical.

World’s Affair also won him the National Book Award for fiction in 1986. He also received the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1989 for Billy Bathgate and for The March in 2005.

He also wrote books such as Welcome to Hard Times, The Book of Daniel, Loon Lake, and Big as Life.

He gained popularity for often placing fictional characters in recognizable historical contexts. He also combined imagined characters with real life figures including Harry Houdini and Henry Ford.

During his 50-year career, he published 12 novels, one stage drama, three volumes of short fiction, and numerous essays.

Named after the 19th century American author and poet Edgar Allen Poe, Doctorow was born in the Bronx in 1931 to Russian parents.

Before beginning his career as a writer in the 1960s, Doctorow worked as a book editor for writers including Ian Fleming, Ayn Rand, and Norman Mailer.

Doctorow is survived by his wife Helen Setzer, son Richard, daughters Jenny and Caroline, as well as four grandchildren.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk