'Reluctant Writer; Popular Storyteller'

 

“Oneway an author dies a little each day is when his books go out of print.”– William Goldman

 

Born on August 12, 1931 Goldman wasone of the most successful screenwriters in history winning Academy Awards for ButchCassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men and writingor adapting three dozen other highly successful works that each won variousawards and were box office smash hits.   

 

And remarkably Goldman first came toprominence for his novels, short stories and works for the stage.  Nearly all of his 16 novels were bestsellers,led by the thriller Marathon Man and the comedy-fantasy The PrincessBride – both of which he adapted into very successful films. He also won two Edgar Awards, from theMystery Writers of America, for Best Motion Picture Screenplay for “Harper” (adapted from Ross Macdonald’sbook The Moving Target) and for“Magic” (adapted from his own novel by the same name).

 

Described by fellow author Sean Eganas "one of the 20th Century’s most popular storytellers," Goldman grewup in Chicago, earned a writing degree from Oberlin College and started his writingcareer as a poet.                                                                                

  

Goldman, who died in 2018, often referred to himselfas a reluctant writer.  "The easiestthing to do on earth is not write,” he said. “But this is life on earth.  Youcan't have everything.”

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