HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Judith Rossner (March 31, 1935 – August 9, 2005) was an American novelist, best known for her acclaimed best sellers '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1975) and ''
August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, August ...
'' (1983).


Life and career, 1935–1973

Born in New York City, on March 31, 1935, Judith Louise Perelman was raised in
the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
. Her father, Joseph Perelman, was a textile official; her mother, Dorothy (Shapiro) Perelman, was a public school-teacher. Rossner wanted to be a writer, even before she could read or write, and dictated poems and stories to her "warmly supportive" mother. She was also encouraged by an uncle, the American-Canadian writer Charles Yale Harrison, best known for his best-selling story of World War I, '' Generals Die in Bed'' (1930). She was Jewish. After graduating from Taft High School, Rossner attended the
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
from 1952-54. She left college to marry Robert Rossner (1932–1999), a teacher and writer.Robert Rossner is best known for mystery novels written as Ivan T. Ross; two of his titles are ''Requiem for a School Girl'' (1960) and ''Teacher's Blood'' (1964). The couple had two children, Jean (born 1960) and Daniel (born 1965). Robert Rossner taught Creative Writing at the Bronx High School of Science. She was unsuccessful in selling short stories to women's magazines,In one rejection slip, Rossner was informed that " en all is said and done, our heroinedoes not wear sufficiently rose-colored glasses for us." (Bernstein, Adam.
Judith Rossner, 70; 'Mr. Goodbar' Author.
''The Washington Post'', August 11, 2005. Accessed December 31, 2016.)
but, in 1963, she did publish a book for children, ''What Kind of Feet Does a Bear Have?'' ( Bobbs-Merrill), with illustrations by Irwin Rosenhouse. Rossner worked as a secretary at various jobs while continuing to write. She gave up a job at ''
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...
'' because her interest in the work interfered with her writing. She went to work instead in a real estate office (where she was "bored out of ermind") and finished her first novel, ''To the Precipice''. This story of a young woman who married her way out of poverty was published by William Morrow in 1966 to positive reviews. As Thomas Lask presciently noted in his review for ''The New York Times'', " ossneris a lady we will hear from again." In 1969, Rossner published her second novel, '' Nine Months in the Life of an Old Maid'' ( Dial Press), about a woman in her late 30s and her sister's unexpected pregnancy; ''The New York Times'' complimented its "... unusual literary climate rich in universal implications." After its publication, Rossner and her family moved to Acworth, New Hampshire, to live on a rural commune while her husband taught at a progressive school there. In 1971, missing the city, Rossner moved back to New York with her children. In 1972, she published ''Any Minute I Can Split'' (
McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...
), the story of a very pregnant woman who leaves her husband and runs away to a commune, "a sunburst of human relationships." The following year, Rossner and her husband divorced. Rossner went to work as a secretary in a methadone clinic to support herself and her children.


''Looking for Mr. Goodbar'', 1973–1977

By the mid-1970s, Rossner was a writer of "impeccable literary credentials," but her three novels had not sold well. Following ''Any Minute I Can Split'', Rossner began a novel about two women who marry conjoined twins. In the meantime,
Nora Ephron Nora Ephron ( ; May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing romantic comedy films and received numerous accolades including a British Academy Film Award as ...
, who was editing a women's issue of ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'', invited Rossner to participate. Rossner, who had been recovering from a car accident, had become interested in the true story of Roseann Quinn, a 28-year-old schoolteacher who had been brutally murdered in January 1973 by a man she had reportedly picked up in a singles bar. Rossner wrote an article about Quinn, but ''Esquire'' declined to publish it, fearing legal ramifications. Rossner, who considered herself a "lousy journalist," decided to write the story as a novel. On June 2, 1975,
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
published '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'', the graphic story of Theresa Dunn, a damaged young woman who teaches children by day and cruises singles bars by night. After picking up a man at Mr. Goodbar, she is brutally murdered in her own bed. The book was an enormous critical and commercial success, selling some 4 million copies. It spent 36 weeks on the ''New York Times'' best seller list (three of which were at #1), becoming the fourth-highest selling novel of the year. Even ''Time'' magazine—rarely a champion of popular fiction—admitted, the book "richly deserves its success." Rossner sold the film rights to
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...
for $250,000; the
film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
was released in 1977, Written and directed by
Richard Brooks Richard Brooks (born Reuben Sax; May 18, 1912 – March 11, 1992) was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and film producer. Nominated for eight Academy Awards in his career, he was best known for ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955), '' ...
, it stars
Diane Keaton Diane Keaton (née Hall; born January 5, 1946) is an American actress. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Diane Keaton, various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Award, a Bri ...
,
Tuesday Weld Tuesday Weld (born Susan Ker Weld; August 27, 1943) is a retired American actress. She began acting as a child and progressed to mature roles in the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcome ...
, William Atherton, and
Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...
. It received very mixed reviews, but was a success at the box office, earning $22.5 million ($86.9 million in 2016 dollars), and received two
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nominations.Tuesday Weld was nominated as supporting actress, and William A. Fraker was nominated for his cinematography. Keaton, who was widely acclaimed for her performance as Theresa, was not nominated for this film, but instead won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of ''
Annie Hall ''Annie Hall'' is a 1977 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay written by Allen and Marshall Brickman, and produced by Allen's manager, Charles H. Joffe. The film stars Allen as Alvy Singer ...
''.
Although Rossner herself "detested" the film, she praised Diane Keaton's performance. In 2012, the novel was adapted as ''Goodbar'', a "staged concept album," by the band Bambi and the performing arts group Waterwell. It was presented at the Public Theater in New York as part of the
Under the Radar Festival The Under the Radar Festival is an internationally-sourced experimental theater festival based in New York City, founded in 2005 by Mark Russell. Russell was the former Artistic Director of P.S. 122 for over twenty years, Guest Artistic Director ...
.


Life and career, 1977–1990

Following the success of ''Goodbar'', which brought her fame and wealth and subsequently allowed her to write full-time, Rossner returned to her novel of conjoined twins. Published in 1977 by Simon & Schuster, ''Attachments'' tells the story of Nadine and Dianne, friends who together marry twins Amos and Eddie. A novel not just about Siamese twins but a host of human attachments, it was only a modest best seller, but reviews were laudatory. Hailed by Jerome Charyn in ''The New York Times'' as "a lovely, bitter, frightening book," it was also described as "... an ambitious, disturbing novel by a bestselling author who might have written a trashy book, but decided instead to mess up our minds." In 1979, Rossner married journalist Mordecai Persky (born 1931); the couple divorced in 1983. Rossner followed ''Attachments'' with '' Emmeline'' (Simon & Schuster, 1980). Her only novel with a noncontemporary setting, the book was based on the life of a historical Maine woman, Emmeline Mosher, who at 14 is sent from her home to take a job in a textile mill in order to support her impoverished family. The book received predominately favorable notices, although Rossner was "humiliated" by a scathing review by Julian Moynahan in ''The New York Times'', and believed that it hurt the book's commercial prospects (conversely, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, also in the ''Times'', gave the book high praise, stating that " ossnerinspires a renewed respect for the complexities of skillful story-telling.") ''Emmeline'' was adapted as an opera, composed by
Tobias Picker Tobias Picker (born July 18, 1954) is an American composer, pianist, and Conductor (music), conductor, noted for his orchestral works ''Old and Lost Rivers'', ''Keys To The City (orchestral work), Keys To The City'', and ''The Encantadas (orches ...
with libretto by poet J.D. McClatchy. It premiered in 1996 at the
Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby (conductor), John Crosby, oversaw the building of the f ...
, and has been produced several times by other companies, including the
New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...
in 1998. A recording of the original Santa Fe production was released in 1996 and a performance was aired on PBS as part of its series of ''
Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is produced by the PBS member statio ...
'' in 1997. ''August'' (Houghton Mifflin), Rossner's most successful novel following ''Goodbar'', was published in 1983 to critical acclaim. This story of 18-year-old Dawn Henley who undergoes psychoanalysis with Dr. Lulu Shinefeld, who has issues of her own, was a significant best seller, spending 19 weeks on the ''New York Times'' list. On page one of ''
The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...
'', Walter Kendrick wrote, "I know of no other account, imagined or factual, that gives such a vivid picture of the analytic experience, on both sides of its intense, troubled, ambiguous relationship." After publication of ''August'', Rossner became seriously ill with viral
encephalitis Encephalitis is inflammation of the Human brain, brain. The severity can be variable with symptoms including reduction or alteration in consciousness, aphasia, headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include se ...
. Diagnosis had been delayed: Rossner's mother had committed suicide, and Rossner thought initially that her symptoms were psychosomatic. She suffered short-term memory loss, being unable to write for several years; the devastating illness also left her with
diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
.


Life and career, 1990–1997

Rossner's eighth novel, written during her long recuperation, was '' His Little Women'' (Summit Books), a modern retelling of the
Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Good Wives'' (1869), ''Little Men'' (1871), and ''Jo's Boys'' ...
classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...
, which was published in 1990 to mixed reviews.Despite its critical reception, ''His Little Women'' merits discussion; see especially ''Contemporary Reconfigurations of American Literary Classics: The Origin and Evolution of American Stories'', by Betina Entzminger (Routledge, 2013), pp. 86–89. Some suggested that Rossner had "lost her touch," neglecting to take into the account the difficulties she had encountered during its writing as she battled her illness. Although ''The New York Times'' found the novel "energetic, ambitious and funny...," many agreed with the verdict of ''Publishers Weekly'': "Laboriously contrived, rambling and lacking momentum... it will disappoint fans of the author who expect better." Rossner's critical reputation was restored with '' Olivia (or, The Weight of the Past)'' (Crown), published in 1994. It's the story of a chef and cooking teacher and her difficult relationship with her resentful daughter. ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'', in its review, found Rossner to be "in top form," stating that "Anyone who likes to eat, cook or read about food will savor Rossner's descriptions of tasty dishes and culinary lore, conveyed with gusto and sensuous detail." ''
The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...
'' noted that ''Olivia'' is "a remarkable exploration of the intimate, complex connections between food and emotion...." Rossner published her last novel, ''Perfidia'' (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday), in 1997 to extraordinary reviews. ''Perfidia'' (which means "treachery" in Spanish) was, like ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar'', inspired by a real-life murder. A "chilling" story of an abusive mother and the daughter who kills her, the novel is "a scorching portrait of attachment and loss." Hailed as " lentless, suspenseful, and absolutely captivating," ''Perfidia'' is a novel which "burns hypnotically."


Marriage

In 2002, Rossner married educational publisherObituaries: Judith Rossner
/ref> Stanley Leff, with whom she had begun a relationship in 1985.


Death

Rossner died from complications of diabetes and
leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
on August 9, 2005, at New York University Medical Center in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. She was 70. She was survived by her husband, two children, her sister, and three grandchildren. Her papers are held at the
Mugar Memorial Library The Mugar Memorial Library is the primary library for study, teaching, and research in the humanities and social sciences for Boston University. It was opened in 1966. Stephen P. Mugar, an Armenian immigrant who was successful in the grocery b ...
of
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
.


Books


Novels

* ''To the Precipice'' (William Morrow, 1966) * '' Nine Months in the Life of an Old Maid'' (Dial, 1969) * ''Any Minute I Can Split'' (McGraw-Hill, 1972) * '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (Simon & Schuster, 1975) * ''Attachments'' (Simon & Schuster, 1977) * '' Emmeline'' (Simon & Schuster, 1980) * ''
August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, August ...
'' (Houghton Mifflin, 1983) * ''His Little Women'' (Summit, 1990) * '' Olivia (or, The Weight of the Past)'' (Crown, 1994) * ''Perfidia'' (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 1997) As of January 2017, all of Rossner's novels are available as ebooks.


Juvenile

* ''What Kind of Feet Does a Bear Have?'' (Illustrations by Irwin Rosenhouse) (1963)


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rossner, Judith 1935 births 2005 deaths Deaths from diabetes in New York (state) Deaths from leukemia in New York (state) 20th-century American novelists American women novelists Writers from the Bronx Novelists from New York City Jewish American novelists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women