I rarely break my blogging schedule, but today’s an exception.
Last night, E.L. Doctorow died at the age of 84. According to his son, he passed away because of complications from lung cancer.
As I’ve read through the 101 Books, I’ve noticed how rare it is to actually have a living author on the list. Doctorow, who most famously wrote Ragtime and Billy Bathgate, was one of the few. Since I created the blog almost five years ago, I only recall one other author on the list passing away–that’s Doris Lessing, who wrote The Golden Notebook.
Doctorow was an imaginative writer, most famous for bringing historical fiction into the mainstream. Ragtime, which I didn’t love but didn’t hate, was a prime example of that. Characters in the novel included J.P. Morgan, Booker T. Washington, Harry Houdini and Henry Ford. It was an interesting read.
So today I simply want to say RIP to Mr. E.L. Doctorow. Thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.
If you’re interested, here are some of my posts about Doctorow and Ragtime:
Book #56: Ragtime
The Doctorow-Dreiser connection
Wealthy, Old Constipated Guys from Ragtime
Grandpa Breaks His Pelvis
Next Up: Ragtime
(Image: Wikimedia Commons)
