Robert Cooke Goolrick (August 4, 1948 – April 29, 2022) was an American writer whose first novel sold more than five million copies.

Biography

Robert Goolrick grew up in the 1950s in the small college town of

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...

. His mother was a homemaker and his father a college professor, and he had two siblings. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University. When Goolrick lost his job as an advertising creative director and copywriter, he turned to memoir writing. ''The End of the World As We Know It: Scenes from a Life'' highlighted "the excesses and failures of both the social underpinnings of the time and his parents' inevitable alcohol-fueled decline, culminating in a devastating portrayal of the sexual abuse he suffered as a child." He sought "something resembling peace" in his writing. After years living in New York City, Goolrick returned to Virginia. In 2015, he moved from Whitestone, Virginia, to

Weems, Virginia Founded in 1886, Weems is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lancaster County in the U. S. state of Virginia. It was first drawn as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. Christ Church, physically located in Weems, was de ...

. He reads from his book ''A Reliable Wife'' in a video posted for his

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followers to which he added, "For people who can't come to a bookstore, this is what I look like and what I sound like, thanks to my friend Ashraf Meer." Robert Goolrick's books were also widely acclaimed abroad, notably in France, where he made a brilliant career and was loved both by the press and the readers. He was awarded several prestigious literary prizes there, among which the Prix Fitzgerald (for ''La chute des princes'') and the Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle (for ''Arrive un vagabond''). He died from complications related to

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in April 2022, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia The COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia is part of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The first confirmed case was reported on March 7, 2020, in Fort Belvoir, and the first suspected case arrived in Virginia on February 23, 2020, which was a man who h ...

. Goolrick is buried in Old Chapel Cemetery in

Millwood, Virginia Millwood is an unincorporated community located in Clarke County, Virginia, United States. Millwood is the home of many of Clarke County's most historic sites including the Burwell-Morgan Mill (1785), Carter Hall (1792), the Greenway Historic Dist ...

, along with his ancestor, writer John Esten Cooke (1830–1886).

Works

*2007: ''The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life'', Algonquin Books, *2009: ''A Reliable Wife'', Algonquin Books, *2012: ''Heading Out to Wonderful'', Algonquin Books, *2015: ''The Fall of Princes'', Algonquin Books, *2018: ''The Dying of the Light'', Harper,

Works translated into French

*2009: ''Une femme simple et honnête'', � A Reliable Wife » translation by Marie de Prémonville, Paris, Éditions Anne Carrière, 413 p. *2010: ''Féroces'', � The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life » translated by Marie de Prémonville, , 254 p. . *2012: ''Arrive un vagabond'', � Heading Out to Wonderful » translation by Marie de Prémonville, Éditions Anne Carrière, 319 p. ::- Prix Laurent-Bonelli Virgin-Lire 2012 ::- Grand prix des lectrices de Elle 2013. *2014: ''La Chute des princes'' � The Fall of Princes » translation by Marie de Prémonville, Éditions Anne Carrière, 360 p. . *2017: ''Après l’incendie'', followed by the short story ''Trois lamentations'',translation by Marie de Prémonville, Éditions Anne Carrière, 300 p. *2019: ''Ainsi passe la gloire du monde'',translation by Marie de Prémonville, Éditions Anne Carrière, 191 p.

Prizes

*2013: Grand prix des lectrices de Elle for ''Arrive un vagabond (Heading Out to Wonderful)'' *2015: Prix Fitzgerald for ''La Chute des princes''

References

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'' (8 April 2009)
Robert Goolrick
on Book reporter
The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life by Robert Goolrick
on bookslut.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Goolrick, Robert 1948 births 2022 deaths 21st-century American novelists Novelists from Virginia Writers from Charlottesville, Virginia Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia People from Lexington, Virginia American male novelists 21st-century American memoirists 21st-century American male writers

Biography

Works

Works translated into French

Prizes

References

External links