| Wednesday, January 31, 2007 |
| Sidney Sheldon, best-selling author, dies at 89 |
Sidney Sheldon, 89, world-renowned writer and film-television producer, is no more.
Sheldon, one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century, has written hits for the theatre, film, television and most recently, his best-selling novels.
He died at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Florida, the United States, after suffering complications from pneumonia.
Sidney Sheldon leaves his wife Alexandra, daughter Mary Sheldon and two grandchildren.
"I've lost a long-time and dear friend," said Sheldon's publicist Warren Cowan. "In all my years in this business, I've never heard an unkind word said about him," Cowan reminisced.
Sidney Sheldon, who started his career as a script reader for major production houses in Hollywood, soon went on to writing and producing his own works.
He career saw him write 25 films and many hit shows, including the popular I Dream of Jeannie.
Sheldon's best-selling novels made their mark after he reached his 50th birthday.
His books, including the bestseller, The Other Side of Midnight, and Rage of Angels, sold over 300 million copies and saw many of his titles turned into TV mini-series.
Sheldon's novels were often based on women who triumphed in the world of men, making them a popular read with both sexes.
Analysing why so many women bought his books, Sheldon commented: "I like to write about women who are talented and capable, but most important, they retain their femininity. Women have tremendous power - their femininity, because men can't do without it."
Sheldon's books were cleverly plotted with a high degree of suspense and sensuality and a device to keep the reader turning pages.
"I try to write my books so the reader can't put them down," Sheldon had explained in a 1982 interview. "I try to construct them so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she has to read just one more chapter. It's the technique of the old Saturday afternoon serial: leave the guy hanging on the edge of the cliff at the end of the chapter."
Sheldon was obviously not aiming at highbrow critics, whose reviews of his books were generally disparaging. He remained undeterred, promoting the novels and himself with genial fervour.
A big, cheerful man, Sheldon bragged about his work habits.
Unlike other novelists who toiled over typewriters or computers, he dictated 50 pages a day to a secretary or a tape-machine. He corrected the pages on the following day, continuing the routine until he had 1,200 to 1,500 pages.Labels: media |
| posted by a correspondent @ 9:41 AM |
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