William Reinhold "Gatz" Hjortsberg[1][2] (February 23, 1941 – April 22, 2017) was an American novelist and screenwriter, who wrote the screenplay of the film Legend.[2][3]
William Hjortsberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 23, 1941 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 22, 2017 (aged 76) Livingston, Montana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist, screenwriter |
| Genre | Mystery, screenwriting |
| Website | |
| williamhjortsberg | |
His novel Falling Angel was the basis for the film Angel Heart (1987).[4] The novel was adapted into an opera in 2015, composed by J. Mark Scearce with a libretto by Lucy Thurber.[5][6][7]
Personal life and death
editHjortsberg was the only child of a Swedish restaurateur father and a Swiss mother. He attended Dartmouth College, the Yale School of Drama (where he met Thomas McGuane), and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. He was married three times, and had a son and a daughter.[2][8] He died of pancreatic cancer on April 22, 2017, at the age of 76.[2][8][5]
Angel Heart
editHis fifth book, "Falling Angel" published in 1978 was later turned into a 1987 movie called "Angel Heart" starring Mickey Rourke as the main character and Robert DeNiro and Lisa Bonet in supporting roles. While the movie was based on the novel, several changes from the original material were made.[9]
In 2020, a sequel to Falling Angel, Angel's Inferno, was posthumously published.
Novels
edit- Alp (1969)
- Gray Matters (1971)
- Symbiography (1973)
- Toro! Toro! Toro! (1974)
- Falling Angel (1978)
- Tales & Fables (1985), published by Sylvester & Orphanos
- Nevermore (1994)
- Mañana (2015), a thriller set in Mexico.[10]
- Angel's Inferno (2020)
Screenplays
edit- Thunder and Lightning (1977)
- The Georgia Peaches (1980) (TV)
- Legend (1985)
Nonfiction
edit- Hjortsberg, William (2012). Jubilee Hitchhiker: The Life and Times of Richard Brautigan. Counterpoint Press. ISBN 9781582437903. A biography of writer Richard Brautigan.
References
edit- ^ McGuane, Thomas (2007). Conversations with Thomas McGuane (1st ed.). Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. p. xv. ISBN 9781578068876.
- ^ a b c d Vollers, Maryanne (28 April 2017). "A Writer to the Very End: Remembering the Great "Gatz"". Literary Hub. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ "William Hjortsberg". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-01-23.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (March 6, 1987). "Angel Heart (1987) FILM: MICKEY ROURKE STARS IN 'ANGEL HEART'". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "William Hjortsberg, writer behind Legend and Angel Heart, dies at 76". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Waddington, Chris (8 May 2015). "'Angel Heart' film reborn in New York as 'Falling Angel' opera: Will Satan win again?". NOLA.com. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ "OPERA America Members Portal". apps.operaamerica.org. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ a b "William Hjortsberg obituary". the Guardian. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ coopa.net. "Angel Heart". Alan Parker - Director, Writer, Producer - Official Website. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ^ "Writes of Spring: Fresh Crime Yarns to Chase Away the Chill". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
External links
edit
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