'Reluctant writing; successful results'

 

“One way an author dies a little each day is when his books go out of print.” – William Goldman

 

Born in Chicago on this date in 1931, Goldman wrote the Academy Award-winning screenplays for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men and also wrote two massively bestselling novels – the thriller Marathon Man and the comedy-fantasy The Princess Bride – also adapted into successful films.  He wrote 20 screenplays and adapted or consulted on a dozen more, all critical and box office successes.

 

The prolific Goldman, who died in 2018, studied writing at Oberlin College and authored 16 novels, a children’s book, 9 nonfiction books and numerous short stories to go along with his many screenplays.  But, despite that success, he often referred to himself as “a reluctant writer.”

 

“The easiest thing to do on earth is not write,” he said. “But this is life on earth, you can't have everything.”