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Elmore Leonard, crime novelist, dies aged 87

AbsurdistanAbsurdistan
in Not Sports Related
Sad news, great writer. R.I.P
US crime writer Elmore Leonard, author of such books as Get Shorty, Maximum Bob and Out of Sight, has died at the age of 87 after suffering a stroke.

A statement on his official website said he had died on Tuesday morning "surrounded by his loving family".

The author of 45 novels, Leonard had been in the process of writing his 46th.

Born in New Orleans in 1925, he started out writing western stories before turning to crime fiction in the 1960s.

Last year he received a lifetime achievement prize at America's National Book Awards.

According to the Detroit News, the author died at his home in the city's Bloomfield Village suburb.

Leonard suffered a stroke earlier this month in Detroit and had been in hospital.

Comments

  • LincsaddickLincsaddick
    A great shame RIP. One of my favourites. A great crime writer always with a touch of both pathos and humour. It's also worth digging out his western short stories, written mostly for magazines in the 1950s and 1960s. These stories somehow give a real impression of the 'Wild Wild West' that John Wayne and John Ford movies never did.
    Leonard was of the KISS school of writing .. keep it simple stupid .. I will miss him
  • BlackForestRedsBlackForestReds
    RIP

    Ten rules for writing fiction, these could double as ten rules for writing match reports as well:

    http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one
  • sillav nitramsillav nitram
    did he wright l a confidential?
  • BlackForestRedsBlackForestReds
    sillav nitram said:

    did he wright l a confidential?

    That was James Ellroy.

  • RizzoRizzo
    Only read one of his books but it was pretty good and I enjoyed it a lot.
  • sillav nitramsillav nitram
    BlackForestReds said:

    sillav nitram said:

    did he wright l a confidential?


    That was James Ellroy.

    doh!
  • Stuart_the_RedStuart_the_Red
    Lincsaddick said:

    A great shame RIP. One of my favourites. A great crime writer always with a touch of both pathos and humour. It's also worth digging out his western short stories, written mostly for magazines in the 1950s and 1960s. These stories somehow give a real impression of the 'Wild Wild West' that John Wayne and John Ford movies never did.
    Leonard was of the KISS school of writing .. keep it simple stupid .. I will miss him

    Good tip, my Dad lent me a compilation of all his western books. I'll have to dig it out and a have a read.

  • Karim_myBagheriKarim_myBagheri
    edited August 2013
    one of the great names. RIP

    always loved the dialogue, especially from the characters set in Detroit.
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