The Passing of Literary Greats

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It’s a week of mourning for the book world. Among the greats who died are Doris Lessing, whose The Golden Notebook was embraced by the 70’s feminist movement (she told NPR that she found that notion “stupid”), Louis Rubin, who as founder of Algonquin Press (acquired in 1989 by Workman) nurtured a generation of southern writers and published several titles himself and Barbara Park, who fulfilled her seemingly modest goal of giving readers “nothing more than a smile or two” through her many books for children, including the Junie B. Jones series.

Below are links to some of  tributes:

Doris Lessing, 1919 to 1993

How Writer Doris Lessing Didn’t Want To Be Remembered, Vicki Barker, NPR

Doris Lessing dies aged 94, The Guardian

Doris Lessing reveled in her status as a contrarian, David Ulin, L.A. Times

Louis Rubin, 1923 to 1993

Louis Rubin, monumental voice in Southern literature, dies, Raleigh News Observer

Louis D. Rubin, Jr., man of letters, dies at 89, Hillel Italie, Associated Press

Barbara Park, 1947 to 1993

Junie B. Jones author Barbara Park dies at 66, USA Today

3 Responses to “The Passing of Literary Greats”

  1. J Says:

    1993?

  2. Kate Capps Says:

    Remember, too, the passing of Charlotte Zolotow this week. She was both an author and editor who championed children’s books.

  3. Nora Rawlinson Says:

    Thanks for mentioning that; we learned about it after we posted the story. The Horn Book’s Roger Sutton wrote a moving tribute, http://bit.ly/I9jIFc