Edward J. Rice (October 23, 1918 – August 8, 2001) was an American author, publisher, photojournalist and painter, born in Brooklyn, New York to Edward J. Rice, Sr. and Elsie (Becker) Rice. He was best known as a close friend and biographer of

Thomas Merton Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915December 10, 1968), religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, Christian mysticism, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. He was a monk in the Trapp ...

. Rice wrote more than 20 books, including ''Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton,'' a best-selling 1990 biography of the famous 19th-century explorer, and was the founder (1953) of ''Jubilee'' magazine.

Life

Rice attended

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, where he became close friends with Merton,

Robert Lax Robert Lax (November 30, 1915 – September 26, 2000) was an American poet, known in particular for his association with Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton. Another friend of his youth was the painter Ad Reinhardt. After a long period of dri ...

, and Robert Giroux (who later co-founded

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer P ...

). Rice was editor of the ''

Jester A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...

'' humor magazine in his senior year; he graduated in 1940. He stood godfather for both Merton and Lax when each converted to Catholicism; Merton in 1938, and Lax five years later.Harford, James. "Ed Rice: A Remembrance", Thomas Merton Center
/ref> Rice chronicled his friendship with Merton in the 1970 book ''The Man in the Sycamore Tree: The Good Times and Hard Life of Thomas Merton.'' Also in 1970, he published ''John Frum He Come,'' a book documenting the South Pacific

cargo cult Cargo cults were diverse spiritual and political movements that arose among indigenous Melanesians following Western colonisation of the region in the late 19th century. Typically (but not universally) cargo cults included: charismatic prophet ...

s. Rice died August 8, 2001, in

Sagaponack, New York Sagaponack ( ) is a Village (New York), village in the Southampton, New York, Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, on the East End (Long Island), East End of Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. T ...

USA.

References

External links

Ed Rice profile
by Mary Cummings, published in the Columbia alumni magazine, May 2001

1918 births 2001 deaths American photojournalists 20th-century American biographers Historians from Brooklyn People from Suffolk County, New York Journalists from New York City Columbia College (New York) alumni {{US-nonfiction-writer-stub