Leslie Epstein
Encyclopedia
Leslie Donald Epstein is an American
novelist.
He has written nine novels including King of the Jews (1979), Pandaemonium (1997), and San Remo Drive: A Novel from Memory (2004), based on his childhood growing up in Hollywood in the 1940s and 50s. His most recent novel The Eighth Wonder of the World was published by Other Press in October 2006. He has written articles for Esquire (magazine)
, The Atlantic Monthly
, Playboy
, Harper's, The Yale Review
, The Nation
, The New York Times
Book Review, The Washington Post
and The Boston Globe
. His son is Chicago Cubs
President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein
.
Among those articles, he wrote an essay, "Returning to Proust's World Stirs Remembrance", for the New York Times series, "Writers on Writing" (Vol. II). In it, he defined reading Proust "ala Epstein" as reading Proust each night before bedtime by confining the session to two pages of five minutes, thus creating a five year project to complete all the volumes of "A la recherche du temps perdu." His rationale: "It is not a bad idea to keep a nightly appointment with a noble mind; it has the power to purify even the most wasted day."
For more than twenty years, Leslie Epstein has been the director of the Creative Writing
Program at Boston University
, where he joined the faculty in 1978. In February 2007, his play "King of the Jews" (not an adaptation of his earlier novel, but an independent realization of the same theme) was premiered at Boston Playwrights' Theatre
to critical acclaim.
American/Bengali short story writer Jhumpa Lahiri
regards Leslie Epstein as the person who gave her the confidence to write her stories.
While she was attending the Creative Writing Program at Boston University, he called her a writer which became the encouragement she needed to take her work further.
and uncle Julius J. Epstein
were screenwriters and won an Academy Award
for Casablanca
.
His son Theo Epstein
is the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs
. His daughter Anya Epstein is a television writer.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist.
He has written nine novels including King of the Jews (1979), Pandaemonium (1997), and San Remo Drive: A Novel from Memory (2004), based on his childhood growing up in Hollywood in the 1940s and 50s. His most recent novel The Eighth Wonder of the World was published by Other Press in October 2006. He has written articles for Esquire (magazine)
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, Harper's, The Yale Review
The Yale Review
The Yale Review is the self-proclaimed oldest literary quarterly in the United States. It is published by Yale University.It was founded originally in 1819 as The Christian Spectator. At its origin it was published to support Evangelicalism, but over time began to publish more on history and...
, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Book Review, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
and The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
. His son is Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein
Theo Epstein
Theo Nathan Epstein is the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs.On November 25, 2002, he became the youngest GM in the history of Major League Baseball when the Boston Red Sox hired him at the age of 28...
.
Among those articles, he wrote an essay, "Returning to Proust's World Stirs Remembrance", for the New York Times series, "Writers on Writing" (Vol. II). In it, he defined reading Proust "ala Epstein" as reading Proust each night before bedtime by confining the session to two pages of five minutes, thus creating a five year project to complete all the volumes of "A la recherche du temps perdu." His rationale: "It is not a bad idea to keep a nightly appointment with a noble mind; it has the power to purify even the most wasted day."
For more than twenty years, Leslie Epstein has been the director of the Creative Writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
Program at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, where he joined the faculty in 1978. In February 2007, his play "King of the Jews" (not an adaptation of his earlier novel, but an independent realization of the same theme) was premiered at Boston Playwrights' Theatre
Boston Playwrights' Theatre
Founded in 1981 by poet, playwright and Nobel Laureate, Derek Walcott, Boston Playwrights' Theatre is an award-winning small professional theatre dedicated to promoting the writing and production of new plays in Boston, Massachusetts....
to critical acclaim.
American/Bengali short story writer Jhumpa Lahiri
Jhumpa Lahiri
Jhumpa Lahiri is a Bengali American author. Lahiri's debut short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies , won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and her first novel, The Namesake , was adapted into the popular film of the same name. She was born Nilanjana Sudeshna, which she says are both...
regards Leslie Epstein as the person who gave her the confidence to write her stories.
While she was attending the Creative Writing Program at Boston University, he called her a writer which became the encouragement she needed to take her work further.
Family
Epstein's father Philip G. EpsteinPhilip G. Epstein
Philip G. Epstein was an American screenwriter most known for his adaptation in partnership with his twin brother, Julius, and others, of the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick's which became the Academy Award-winning screenplay of the film Casablanca .Epstein was born in New York City and...
and uncle Julius J. Epstein
Julius J. Epstein
Julius J. Epstein was an American screenwriter, who had a long career, best remembered for the adaptation - in partnership with his twin brother, Philip, and others - of the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick's that became the screenplay for the film Casablanca , for which its team of writers...
were screenwriters and won an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
.
His son Theo Epstein
Theo Epstein
Theo Nathan Epstein is the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs.On November 25, 2002, he became the youngest GM in the history of Major League Baseball when the Boston Red Sox hired him at the age of 28...
is the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
. His daughter Anya Epstein is a television writer.
Writings
- P.D. Kimerakov, 1975.
- The Steinway Quintet: Plus Four, 1976.
- King of the Jews, 1979.
- Regina, 1982.
- Goldkorn Tales, 1985.
- Pinto and Sons, 1990.
- Pandemonium, 1997.
- Ice Fire Water, 1999.
- San Remo Drive, 2003.
- The Eighth Wonder of the World, 2006.
- Liebestod, 2012
External links
- "Creative Writing Program Annual Faculty Reading" Video of reading, April 28, 2009