E. L. Doctorow

Winifred Farrant Bevilacqua (Università Degli Studi di Torino)

Ed. by Christopher Hugh Gair, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

Born 6 Jan 1931
Died 21 Jul 2015
Activity 1960-2015

Places

Born in United States
Active in United States

Cultural Identities

Jewish American

Activities

Primary

Editor
Essayist
Novelist
Playwright / Dramatist
Story-writer

Other

Teacher/ Professor

Resources

In his essay “The Beliefs of Writers”, E. L. Doctorow voices his conviction that “the large examination of society within a story, the imposition in a novel of public matters on private life, the lighting of history within the individual” are, even today, valid literary aims compatible with maintaining aesthetic rigor and vigor (615-616). Adhering to this “poetics of engagement” has been a constant in his career and his work has been artistically innovative and historically conscious. All of his books, very distinctive in terms of style and tone and in revitalizing the conventions of genre, are characterized by an exploration of American history and myth, a probing of evil and individual responsibility, a quest for meaning …

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Citation: Farrant Bevilacqua, Winifred. "E. L. Doctorow". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 April 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1278, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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