Evan S. Connell | Acclaimed author, 88
Evan S. Connell, 88, an adventurous author whose literary explorations ranged from Depression-era Kansas City in the twin novels Mrs. Bridge and Mr. Bridge to Custer's last stand in the history book Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn , was found dead Thursday at his Santa Fe, N.M., apartment, and likely died of old age, his niece Donna Waller said.
Evan S. Connell, 88, an adventurous author whose literary explorations ranged from Depression-era Kansas City in the twin novels Mrs. Bridge and Mr. Bridge to Custer's last stand in the history book Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn, was found dead Thursday at his Santa Fe, N.M., apartment, and likely died of old age, his niece Donna Waller said.
Mr. Connell was a National Book Award finalist, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a finalist in 2009 for the International Man Booker Award for lifetime achievement.
Mr. Connell was the author of 19 books, including two book-length poems, a biography of Spanish painter Francisco Goya, and a historically detailed novel about the Crusades, Deus Lo Volt!
He began a literary career despite the wishes of his father, who wanted him to inherit the family medical practice. "He was concerned that I would never be able to make a living at this kind of thing - it was a justifiable concern, I think," Mr. Connell told the Associated Press in 2000.
His most recent book was a collection of short stories published in 2008, Lost in Uttar Pradesh. - AP