E.L. Doctorow passes: One of my favorite authors (1931-2015)

He had the marvelous facility of transporting me back in time to the Bronx of my youth, the East Tremont Avenue of the 1940's with full rounded characters that roamed, breathed and possessed the streets of my youth.

 E.L. Doctorow (1931-2014)

Courtesy of Wikipedia

He will be remembered for his many novels including Ragtime (1975), Billy Bathgate (1989) and World's Fair (1985). 

I recently read World's Fair and here is my review.(click Here)

Kudos to Random House which published a full page notice in the New York Times, Thursday, July 23, 2015. After referring to him as BELOVED AUTHOR AND FRIEND, the ad goes on to quote George Saunders' accolade, from the citation for the 2012 PEN/SaulBellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction:

"We salute him, and we thank him: 

for his courage, his playfulness,

his fire; for reminding us with 

every book that language is 

infinite, and essential. What 

an inspiration and an astonishment

to see how much beauty can be

 made by one amazing artist." 

World's Fair: by E.L.Doctorow beautifully captures aura of The Bronx, Youth, Hope, Dreams, Despair,etc of the 1930''s

This book is strongly recommended. 

I cherished Doctorow's command of prose and the scenic autobiographic chapters of this book depicting and describing the Bronx of my youth, its vibrant street and family life.

 In truth, I prolonged my reading of the book to savor the narrative. 

For the most part, this memoir is told from the point of view of young Edgar as he makes the transition from the limited perspective of his pre-school years into a more awakened awareness of life.

We get to know the intimate lives of his brilliant, musical older brother Donald who attended the prestigious Townsend Harris High School (before the building of the Bronx High School of Science), his lovable father, unreliable in his conduct of his business, his possessive and doting mom Rose and grandparents who live further up the Concourse and his rich Westchester aunt and uncle.

Often a photographer would come to our

Bronx neighborhood with his pony 

Here are some quotes about Edgar's dad:

"My father was not a reliable associate, I was to gather. Too many things he said would come to pass did not...He was full of errant enthusiasms and was easily diverted by them. He had, besides, various schemes for making money that he did not readily confide to my mother."

"I knew he was unreliable, but he was fun to be with. He was a child's ideal companion, full of surprises and happy animal energy. He enjoyed food and drink. He liked to try new things. He brought home coconuts, papayas, mangoes, and urged them on our reluctant, conservative selves. On Sundays he liked to discover new places, take us on endless bus or trolley rides to some new park or beach he knew about. He always counseled daring, in whatever situation, the courage to test the unknown, an instruction that was thematically in opposition to my mother's."

What about the World's Fair?  The book culminates in some eye-opening scabrous events at the 1939 Queens, New York site.