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Replying to Authors Last a Long Time, But....

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[quote name='Raskolnikov' timestamp='1231685367' post='127678'] It's probably about time I declared a vested interest in this thread seeing as I work for a well known chain of bookshops, so humour me while I ramble on with a few suggestions. Diana Athill recently turned 91 and has just won the [url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookprizes/4125490/Costa-Book-Award-91-year-old-wins-award-for-account-of-old-age.html"]biography category of the Costa Book of the Year Awards[/url] for her account of what it's like to be old and approaching death. Not only is she a nonagenarian, but she is also deaf and has problems with mobility although according to this [url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookprizes/4125918/Appreciation-of-Diana-Athills-Somewhere-Towards-the-End.html"]article[/url], she still drives (badly by the sounds of it). [quote]Rather splendidly, Athill is still driving. She finds it difficult to walk, but when she gets in her car "off you whiz just like everyone else, restored to freedom, restored (almost to youth)." She has had a few scrapes in the past year or so – one the result of "being an overtired old person flustered by her own silliness". It is to her credit that she both carries on driving and can admit her own mistakes.[/quote] Away from Diana, there seems to be a build up of veteran British authors going on at Penguin Publishing. Sir John Mortimer and Dick Francis have their own threads, but you can also add PD James and Richard Adams to the list. James seems to be in good health at the moment, but the occasional picture of Adams I have seen over the past couple of years shows him looking extremely frail. Of the four, I would say Mortimer is closest to carking it, and next time I see our sales rep from Penguin I'll casually enquire after his health, and perhaps one of the others if it doesn't look too suspicious. There are also a clutch of bestselling author's in the 75-80 age bracket who should be creeping onto deadpooler's radars over the next few years. Most notable among them I would say, are, Clive Cussler (77), Wilbur Smith (76), Jack Higgins (79), Chinua Achebe (78), Quentin Blake (76), John Julius Norwich (79), and David Eddings (77). Out of those, the one to keep a closest eye on would be [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinua_Achebe"]Achebe [/url]as he has been confined to a wheelchair since 1990 following a car accident. Having said that, there does seem to be a recent trend of at least one high profile Science-Fiction author falling prey to the Grim Reaper per year, with David Gemmell going in 2006, Robert Jordan in 2007, and Arthur C. Clarke going last year, as well as Pratchett going down with Alzheimer's, so, assuming Eddings isn't this year's victim, he could be one to consider in future. And just to conclude. Prolific author of naval fiction Douglas Reeman is 84, Nobel prize winner Doris Lessing is 89, Nina Bawden turns 84 next week, Rosamunde Pilcher is also 84, K.M. Peyton, who wrote the Flambards series, and who I thought died years ago, is 79, and children's author Eva Ibbotson is 83. Unfortunately I don't have any detailed info on the health of any of them as author's tend to keep themselves very much to themselves as proved by Michael Crichton and George MacDonald Fraser, but hey, I've put their names out there for you to investigate in more detail should you wish. And here endeth my epistle. [/quote]

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Topic Summary

Death Impends

Posted 20 May 2013 - 02:16 AM

Bernard Waber, known for his Lyle the Crocodile series of children's books, said "see you later alligator" aged 91.

Toast

Posted 16 May 2013 - 04:57 PM

Surprised to find that she's still with us.
I might have got her mixed up with Claire Rayner. Or Maeve Binchy. Or somebody like that.

Bibliogryphon

Posted 16 May 2013 - 12:40 PM

Once, Twice Three times a lady?

Fay Weldon describes her two near death experiences.

Looks like she might be brought into the 2014 theme team.

Bibliogryphon

Posted 22 April 2013 - 12:08 PM

American Children's author and multiple Newbury medal winner E L Konigsburg

I must admit off my radar. More research needed.

Handrejka

Posted 16 April 2013 - 10:14 PM

Bibliogryphon, on 16 April 2013 - 12:51 PM, said:

A couple more kids authors who may be worth keeping an eye on David McKee (b.1935) who is responsible for Mr Benn, King Rollo and Elmer the Patchwork elephant and Jill Murphy (b.1949) who created The Worst Witch series of books which are about the antics of a girl who goes to a special boarding school for the magically inclined an gets involved in all sorts of adventures.

These were written well before the adventures of a certain boy wizard and are a lot more fun a responsible for the destruction of less trees - I presume she doesn't have very good lawyers or belives in live and let live. She also won awards for her Large family pic...

Bibliogryphon

Posted 16 April 2013 - 12:51 PM

themaninblack

Posted 09 April 2013 - 07:05 AM

Godot, on 08 April 2013 - 11:03 PM, said:

Just looking at Martin Amis on telly (Newsnight), going on about Margaret Thatcher. He looks remarkably jaundiced, like a carrot.

That's because he is remarkably jaundiced. I always find it funny that he turned out to have the same trajectory as his Dad - bright young writer, now a sad, right-wing old buzzard...

Godot

Posted 08 April 2013 - 11:03 PM

Just looking at Martin Amis on telly (Newsnight), going on about Margaret Thatcher. He looks remarkably jaundiced, like a carrot.

Death Impends

Posted 06 April 2013 - 09:25 PM

CaptainChorizo, on 06 April 2013 - 09:05 PM, said:

http://www.washingto...4f0f_story.html

David Kuo who's book Tempting Faith became a NY Times Best Seller has died at 44 after a 10 year battle with brain cancer

I'd been aware of him/his illness, never seriously considered him for my team though due to obit unsureness.

CaptainChorizo

Posted 06 April 2013 - 09:05 PM

http://www.washingto...4f0f_story.html

David Kuo who's book Tempting Faith became a NY Times Best Seller has died at 44 after a 10 year battle with brain cancer

Review the complete topic (launches new window)