Ellen Glasgow

popular name: Erich Maria Remarque

date_of_death: September 25, 1970

age: 72

cause_of_death: Heart failure

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: Erich Maria Remarque was a German-born novelist best known for his stark and poignant depictions of war and its aftermath. Born on June 22, 1898, in Osnabrück, Germany, he served as a soldier in World War I, an experience that profoundly shaped his worldview and writing. His most famous work, All Quiet on the Western Front (1929), is a powerful anti-war novel that presents the harrowing experiences of German soldiers during the Great War. The book was a massive success internationally but faced backlash in Nazi Germany, where it was banned and publicly burned. Remarque fled the country in the 1930s, eventually settling in the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen. Throughout his career, he continued to explore themes of disillusionment, exile, and the human cost of war in novels such as The Road Back, Arch of Triumph, and The Black Obelisk. Remarque died on September 25, 1970, in Locarno, Switzerland.

popular name: Jean Giono

date_of_death: October 8, 1970

age: 75

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: Jean Giono was a French writer who spent his entire life living and writing in Manosque, France. It was here that the author created his monumental oeuvre, inspired by the sun-drenched footpaths and unbridled natural scenery that was his home. Following in his footsteps visitors will cross the landscapes he described so vividly, from Gréoux-les-Bains to Forcalquier where his work A King Alone was born. Among his novels, the most famous are “Colline” (“The Hill”) of 1929, “Regain” (“Re covety”) of 1930, “Le Chant du Monde” (“Song of the World”) of 1934, “Que Ma Joie De meure” (“Let My Joy Remain”) of 1935, “L'Eau Vive” (“Lively Water”) of 1944, “Les Ames Mortes” (“The Dead Souls”) of 1949, “Le Hussard sur le Toit” (“The Hussard on the Roof”) of 1951 and “Le Moulin de Po logne” (“The Polish Mill”) 1952. Outside France, Giono's best-known work is probably the short story The Man who Planted Trees (and 1987 film version). This optimistic tale of a man who brings a deserted valley back to life by planting trees reflects Giono's long-standing love of the natural world, an attitude that made him a precursor to the modern ecological movement. In his later years, Giono was honoured with the Prince Rainier of Monaco literary prize in 1953, awarded for his lifetime achievements, was elected to the Académie Goncourt in 1954, and became a member of the Conseil Littéraire of Monaco in 1963.

popular name: James Baldwin

date_of_death: December 1, 1987

age: 63

cause_of_death: Stomach cancer

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: James Baldwin was an American author, playwright, poet and activist. His work explored the intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in the Western society of the United States during the mid twentieth-century. He used themes of masculinity, sexuality, race, and class to create narratives that ran parallel with some of the major political movements toward social change of the twentieth-century. His best known work includes Notes of a Native Son (1955), Giovanni's Room (1956), The Fire Next Time (1963), and No Name in the Street (1972). Two of his works, 'Remember This House' and 'If Beale Street Could Talk', were adapted into Academy Award-winning films.