Thursday, December 31, 2015

12/31/2008 Donald E. Westlake dies

December 31, 2008.  Donald E. Westlake died in Mexico after a New Year's Eve dinner with his wife.  Westlake was an MWA Grand Master, and one of only three people to win the Edgar Award in three different categories.  He is the only author I know of who achieved his greatest fame by self-parody: his comic classics about thief John Dortmunder were a funhouse mirror reflection of the grim books about thief Parker, which he wrote under the name Richard Stark.

I once attended a conference where he was speaking and snuck into the dining room to rearrange place cards so I could sit at his table.  Dortmunder would have  approved. 
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1 comment:

  1. TracyKDecember 31, 2015 at 11:50 AM

    I read Westlake when I was younger and plan to read (or reread) more now. Very cool story about sitting at his table.

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