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Elmore Leonard, crime novelist, dies aged 87

Absurdistan
Absurdistan Posts: 8,024
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

  • Lincsaddick
    Lincsaddick Posts: 32,381
    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
  • BlackForestReds
    BlackForestReds Posts: 17,952
    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 nitram
    sillav nitram Posts: 10,170
    did he wright l a confidential?
  • BlackForestReds
    BlackForestReds Posts: 17,952
    sillav nitram said:

    did he wright l a confidential?

    That was James Ellroy.

  • Rizzo
    Rizzo Posts: 6,435
    Only read one of his books but it was pretty good and I enjoyed it a lot.
  • sillav nitram
    sillav nitram Posts: 10,170
    BlackForestReds said:

    sillav nitram said:

    did he wright l a confidential?


    That was James Ellroy.

    doh!
  • Stuart_the_Red
    Stuart_the_Red Posts: 1,862
    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_myBagheri
    Karim_myBagheri Posts: 12,841
    edited August 2013
    one of the great names. RIP

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

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