Tasha Tudor, beloved children’s book author and/or illustrator of 100 books, has died peacefully at her house in Vermont at the age of 92. Ms. Tudor won the Caldecott Honor for Tasha Tudor’s Mother Goose in 1945 and for 1 Is One in 1967. She was also known for living an 1830’s lifestyle of peace and self-sufficiency, which was the topic of a PBS documentary, “Take Joy! The Magical World of Tasha Tudor.”
Noted science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke died Wednesday in Sri Linka at the age of 90. Clarke is perhaps best known for his work with Stanley Kubrick to create the film 2001: A Space Odyssey based on his short story “The Sentinel” and for the phrase “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Ira Levin, author of many best-selling suspense novels, including The Stepford Wives, The Boys from Brazil, and Rosemary’s Baby, has died. He was 78. Levin’s first novel, A Kiss Before Dying, was written when he was only 22. Many of Levin’s works were filmed and became popular movies.
Norman Mailer, two-time Pulitzer-prize winning author, has died at age 84 of acute renal failure.
Mailer’s own life was as brash as his writing. He was married 6 times, had 9 children, drank, fought, ran for mayor of New York, and crusaded against women’s liberation.
Fantasy novelist Robert Jordan has died at the age of 58 of complications from a rare blood disease, leaving his epic Wheel of Time series unfinished. He was working on the 12th book at the time of his death. Jordan’s official website is apparently being inundated with hits from fans having trouble believing the news and so may not be accessible.
Beloved children’s book author Madeleine L’Engle has died. I remember reading A Wrinkle in Time as a child but it wasn’t really my favorite of her books. Instead, I loved the Vicky Austin series, especially all the trials and tribulations of her love life.
