E.L. Doctorow, photograph by Jill Krementz, from back cover of Doctorow's 1975 novel "Ragtime"

Edgar Lawrence Doctorow (born January 6, 1931, New York, New York) is the author of several critically acclaimed novels that blend history and social criticism. Currently, he holds the Glucksman Chair in American Letters at New York University. E. L. Doctorow, photograph by Jill Krementz, from back cover of 1975 novel Ragtime, presumed fair use for Doctorow article This work is copyrighted. ... Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe; title page of 1719 newspaper edition A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... For other senses of this word, see history (disambiguation). ... A cultural critic is a critic of a given culture, usually as a whole and typically on a radical basis; a social critic of a given society, but the overlap is large. ... New York University (NYU) is a major research university in New York City. ...

Doctorow was raised in the Bronx, New York, by parents of second-generation Russian Jewish descent. At the Bronx High School of Science, he excelled in art making. Doctorow was a voracious reader and continued his education at Kenyon College where he studied with John Crowe Ransom. After graduating in 1952, he was drafted into the army and assigned to Germany. He began his career as a reader at Columbia Pictures, moved on to become an editor for New American Library in the early 1960s and worked as chief editor at Dial Press from 1964 to 1969. Although he had written books for years, it was not until the publication of The Book of Daniel in 1971 that he obtained acclaim. His next book, Ragtime was a superb commercial and critical success. The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of United States. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... The Bronx High School of Science, commonly called Bronx Science, is a public high school in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, New York City. ... Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of the The Episcopal Church. ... John Crowe Ransom (April 30, 1888 - July 3, 1974) was an American poet, essayist, and social commentator. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Columbia Pictures current logo. ... New American Library (aka NAL) began publishing paperbacks in the 1940s. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The January 1920 issue of the Dial. ... The Book of Daniel (1971) is semi-historical novel by E. L. Doctorow, loosely based on the trial and execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. ... Ragtime is a 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow. ...

He delivered a commencement address critical of President George W. Bush at Hofstra University on May 23, 2004. George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States and a former governor of Texas. ... Hofstra University is a private insitution of higher learning located in Hempstead, Long Island, New York (USA) founded in 1935 on the basis of the estate of wealthy businessman and heiress William and Kate Hofstra. ...

Works

• (1960) Welcome to Hard Times
• (1966) Big As Life
• (1971) The Book of Daniel. Nominated for a National Book Award, it fictionalized the story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed in 1953 for giving nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union.
• (1975) Ragtime. After receiving the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction and the Arts and Letters Award, it was transformed into a film (Ragtime (film)) in 1980 and a musical (Ragtime (musical)) in 1998.
• (1979) Drinks Before Dinner (play)
• (1980) Loon Lake (novel)
• (1982) American Anthem
• (1984) Lives of the Poets: Six Stories and a Novella
• (1985) World's Fair. Received the 1986 National Book Award.
• (1989) Billy Bathgate. Nominated for the Pulitzer and won the PEN/Faulkner award. Made into a major motion picture in 1991, which Doctorow--along with most of those involved in its production-- has disowned.^{[citation needed]}
• (1994) Waterworks
• (2000) City of God
• (2003) Reporting the Universe (nonfiction)
• (2004) Sweet Land Stories
• (2005) The March, ISBN 0375506713 Note: On Mar 3, 2006, this book was awarded the National Book Critics' Circle award for fiction.

See also: 1959 in literature, other events of 1960, 1961 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1965 in literature, other events of 1966, 1967 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1970 in literature, other events of 1971, 1972 in literature, list of years in literature. ... The Book of Daniel (1971) is semi-historical novel by E. L. Doctorow, loosely based on the trial and execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. ... The National Book Award is one of the most important literary prizes in the United States, presented annually for the best books by living U.S. citizens published in the U.S. The awards have been presented since 1950 in at least one category, and are presently awarded in each... The Rosenbergs Julius Rosenberg (May 12, 1918 – June 19, 1953) and Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg (September 28, 1915 – June 19, 1953) were American citizens and Communist Party members who were thrust into the world spotlight when they were tried, convicted and executed for spying for the Soviet Union. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... See also: 1974 in literature, other events of 1975, 1976 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Ragtime is a 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow. ... The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is an American association of approximately seven hundred book reviewers. ... Ragtime is a 1981 motion picture based on the historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Ragtime is a Broadway musical with book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty, based on the 1975 novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... See also: 1978 in literature, other events of 1979, 1980 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1979 in literature, other events of 1980, 1981 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1981 in literature, other events of 1982, 1983 in literature, list of years in literature. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1984 in literature, other events of 1985, 1986 in literature, list of years in literature. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Book Award is one of the most important literary prizes in the United States, presented annually for the best books by living U.S. citizens published in the U.S. The awards have been presented since 1950 in at least one category, and are presently awarded in each... See also: 1988 in literature, other events of 1989, 1990 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Billy Bathgate is a character created by author E.L. Doctorow, and has been featured in three pieces of modern art: Songs of Billy Bathgate, a 1968 short story featuring the son of the character from Doctorows later novel. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1993 in literature, other events of 1994, 1995 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1999 in literature, other events of 2000, 2001 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 2002 in literature, other events of 2003, 2004 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 2003 in literature, other events of 2004, 2005 in literature, list of years in literature. ... // Events February 25 - Canada Reads selects Rockbound by Frank Parker Day as the novel to be read across the nation. ... The March is a 2005 novel by EL Doctorow about Shermans March to the Sea. ...

References

• Arana-Ward, Marie. (April 17, 1994). "E. L. Doctorow". The Washington Post, p. X6.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

E.L. Doctorow

• New York State Writers Institute: E. L. Doctorow
• E. L. Doctorow Wins the PEN/Faulkner Award 2006
• The Unfeeling President Doctorow's comments on George W. Bush
• "Billy Bathgate Discussion With EL Doctorow" - from Nov. 30, 2004
• BookTalk.org Online Book Discussion
• 1986 audio interview with E. L. Doctorow by Don Swaim of CBS Radio - RealAudio
• Author Interview at failbetter.com