Elmore Leonard. Crime novelist Elmore Leonard has died, two weeks after suffering a stroke.
Leonard published more than 40 novels and many were made into Hollywood films. Among them: “Get Shorty” and “3:10 to Yuma.” More recently, he served as executive producer of the TV drama series “Justified” on FX.
Leonard’s works were populated by schemers, con men and casual killers. He was noted for his black humor and his wickedly insightful depictions of human nature.
He described his method in a 2004 interview with Michael Silverblatt on KCRW’s “Bookworm” about his novel “Mr. Paradise.”
“I decided I wanted to put the emphasis on the characters and not the plot. That if I assemble some interesting enough characters, I could make up the story as I go along, which is what I do,” Leonard said.
Leonard’s first novel, “The Big Bounce,” was rejected 84 times before it was published as a paperback in 1969. It was eventually turned into a movie starring Ryan O’Neal.
Leonard died in a suburb of his native Detroit. He was 87. AP, Bookworm
Here are some remembrances of Leonard from around the Mediasphere:
There’s also a nice photo collection in the Detroit Free Press.
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