Rhoda Lerman

Rhoda Lerman (January 18, 1936 – August 30, 2015) was an American author and playwright who debuted with her novel Call Me Ishtar in 1973. She adapted her 1979 novel Eleanor, A Novel into a one-woman stage play; it was also made into the Primetime Emmy Award-winning TV movie Eleanor: First Lady of the World.

Rhoda Lerman
Born
Rhoda Carol Sniderman

(1936-01-18)January 18, 1936
Far Rockaway, Queens, New York City
DiedAugust 30, 2015(2015-08-30) (aged 79)
Port Crane, New York
EducationUniversity of Miami
Occupations
  • Author
  • playwright
Spouse
Robert Lerman
​
(m. 1957)​
Websiterhodalerman.com

Early life and education

Rhoda Carol Sniderman was born, along with her twin sister, on January 18, 1936. She grew up in her birthplace of Far Rockaway, Queens, New York, as well as in New Britain, Connecticut.[1] Rhoda's mother, Gertrude (née Langfur[2]), moved her to Miami after her father, an accountant named Jacob Sniderman, died when Rhoda was 13.[3] Sniderman studied at the University of Miami, initially focusing on geology.[1] It was there that she met Robert Lerman, marrying him in 1957.[3] When she was told by her advisor she could not go on field trips with him or with the male students, she switched her field, graduating with a degree in English.[1]

Career

Lerman debuted in 1973 with the novel Call Me Ishtar, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.[4] She adapted her novel Eleanor, A Novel into a one-woman stage play, Eleanor: Her Secret Journey, that toured with Jean Stapleton.[5] The novel was also adapted into the TV movie Eleanor: First Lady of the World,[6] which was nominated for several Primetime Emmy Awards, winning one.[7] In 1996, she published her first nonfiction book In the Company of Newfies: A Shared Life about her life with her Newfoundland dogs.[8]

In a review for Animal Acts, Publishers Weekly says Lerman is "justly known as a writer's writer" and "produces fascinating plots and lush, seductive prose in the service of transcendent questions."[9]

Death

Lerman died on August 30, 2015, in her home in Port Crane, New York, from complications of thyroid cancer.[2]

List of works

Novels

  • Call Me Ishtar (1973)[10]
  • The Girl That He Marries (1976)[11]
  • Eleanor, A Novel (1979)
  • The Book of the Night (1984)
  • God's Ear (1989)[12]
  • Animal Acts (1994)[13]
  • Solimeos (2023)

Books

  • In the Company of Newfies: A Shared Life (1996)[14]
  • Elsa Was Born a Dog, I Was Born A Human ...Things Have Changed (2013)

References
  1. Satlof 1994, p. 197.
  2. Weber, Bruce (September 5, 2015). "Rhoda Lerman, Writer Who Defied Labels, Dies at 79". The New York Times.
  3. Weber, Bruce (September 5, 2015). "Rhoda Lerman, writer who defied labels, dies at 79". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  4. Vosburgh, Lois (August 24, 1973). "Local Woman Nominated For Pulitzer Prize". Syracuse Post-Standard. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023.
  5. Klein, Alvin (August 15, 1999). "THEATER; A First Lady for the Ages". The New York Times.
  6. O'Connor, John J. (May 12, 1982). "TV: MOVIE ON ELEANOR ROOSEVELT". The New York Times. p. 32.
  7. "Nominees / Winners 1982". Television Academy. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  8. Marussa, Mary Ellen. "Dog Days: Cazenovia author Rhoda Lerman explores the animal-human bond". Syracuse Herald-Journal. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023.
  9. "Animal Acts by Rhoda Lerman". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  10. Rosenstein, Harriet (November 25, 1973). "Call Me Ishtar". The New York Times. p. 46. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  11. Nelson, Alix (August 8, 1976). "The Girl That He Marries". The New York Times. p. 166. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  12. Singer, Brett (July 2, 1989). "THE CALLING OF YUSSEL FETNER". The New York Times. p. 6. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  13. Gambone, Philip (July 3, 1994). "IN SHORT: FICTION". The New York Times. p. 12. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  14. "In the Company of Newfies: A Shared Life by Rhoda Lerman". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved June 15, 2023.

Works cited


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