Edward Laurence Doctorow (born January 6, 1931, New York, New York) is the author of several critically acclaimed novels that blend history and social criticism. 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 commercial and critical success. As of 2006, he held the Glucksman Chair in American Letters at New York University. Doctorow's personal papers are held by the Fales Library at NYU.
Doctorow was raised in the Bronx, New York, by parental folks 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 with honors in 1952, he did graduate work at Columbia University before 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.
He delivered a commencement address critical of President George W. Bush at Hofstra University on May 23, 2004.
The magic of ''Ragtime's'' invention was persuasive enough to win for Doctorow the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. And the novel garnered enough notoriety to sell more than 200,000 copies in hard-cover its first year; paperback reprint rights were purchased by Bantam Books for $1,850,000, then a record figure. The book's success launched Doctorow into the top echelon of American novelists, permanently enhancing his readership and the critical appreciation for the entirety of his work.
Novels
WELCOME TO HARD TIMES. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1960.
BIG AS LIFE. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1966.
THE BOOK OF DANIEL. New York: Random House, 1971.
RAGTIME. New York: Random House, 1975.
LOON LAKE. New York: Random House, 1980.
WORLD'S FAIR. New York: Random House, 1985.
BILLY BATHGATE. New York: Random House, 1989.
Short Fiction
LIVES OF THE POETS: SIX STORIES AND A NOVELLA. New York: Random House, 1984.
from Wikipedia Doctorow Page
