Lacey Fosburgh
Encyclopedia
Lacey Fosburgh was an American
journalist
, author
, and academic best known for her bestselling book, Closing Time: The True Story of the Goodbar Murder
(1977).
in Manhattan and Sarah Lawrence College
.
, where she worked as a staff reporter from 1968 to 1973. After leaving the Times, she continued to work as a freelance journalist for that publication and others, notably covering the Patty Hearst
/Symbionese Liberation Army
case from 1974-1976 and the Peoples Temple
case in 1978. She was also one of the few people to interview reclusive author J. D. Salinger
, in 1974.
nomination for Best Fact Crime book. Truman Capote
remarked that the book proved Fosburgh "a skillful, selective reporter and also a literary artist."
Her second book, Old Money (1983), a novel which was understood to be largely autobiographical
, about growing up in a wealthy, troubled family, was also a bestseller. Her third book was India Gate (1991), a fictional family saga and mystery involving the children of American expatriate
s in India
. Fosburgh also taught in the University of California, Berkeley
, School of Journalism.
, and they had one child, Sophie. Fosburgh died from breast cancer
in 1993 at age 50.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and academic best known for her bestselling book, Closing Time: The True Story of the Goodbar Murder
Closing Time: The True Story of the Goodbar Murder
Closing Time: The True Story of the "Goodbar" Murder is a 1977 non-fiction book by Lacey Fosburgh about the murder of Roseann Quinn, the story of whose murder was the basis for the 1975 novel and 1977 film Looking for Mr. Goodbar....
(1977).
Early life
She was born in Manhattan, New York, to the journalist Hugh Whitney Fosburgh and his wife, Helen Edwards Fosburgh. Fosburgh graduated from the Brearley SchoolBrearley School
The Brearley School is an all-girls private school in New York City, New York, United States. It is located on the Upper East Side of the Manhattan borough of New York City. The school is divided into the Lower School , Middle School and Upper School...
in Manhattan and Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
.
Career
She began her writing career for The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, where she worked as a staff reporter from 1968 to 1973. After leaving the Times, she continued to work as a freelance journalist for that publication and others, notably covering the Patty Hearst
Patty Hearst
Patricia Campbell Hearst , now known as Patricia Campbell Hearst Shaw, is an American newspaper heiress, socialite, actress, kidnap victim, and convicted bank robber....
/Symbionese Liberation Army
Symbionese Liberation Army
The Symbionese Liberation Army was an American self-styled left-wing urban militant group active between 1973 and 1975 that considered itself a revolutionary vanguard army...
case from 1974-1976 and the Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple was a religious organization founded in 1955 by Jim Jones that, by the mid-1970s, included over a dozen locations in California including its headquarters in San Francisco...
case in 1978. She was also one of the few people to interview reclusive author J. D. Salinger
J. D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....
, in 1974.
Author
In 1977, Fosburgh published her first book, Closing Time: The True Story of the Goodbar Murder. A true story that grew out of a 1973 murder case Fosburgh had covered for the New York Times, the book became a bestseller. It was also met with critical acclaim, being selected by the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club, and receiving a 1978 Edgar AwardEdgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
nomination for Best Fact Crime book. Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
remarked that the book proved Fosburgh "a skillful, selective reporter and also a literary artist."
Her second book, Old Money (1983), a novel which was understood to be largely autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, about growing up in a wealthy, troubled family, was also a bestseller. Her third book was India Gate (1991), a fictional family saga and mystery involving the children of American expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
s in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Fosburgh also taught in the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, School of Journalism.
Personal life
Fosburgh was married to Marc Libarle from 1973 to 1975. In 1977, she married activist and author David HarrisDavid Harris (protestor)
David Victor Harris is an American journalist and author. He is known chiefly for his role as an anti-war activist during the Vietnam War, most notably as a leading opponent of the Draft.-Early life and education:...
, and they had one child, Sophie. Fosburgh died from breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in 1993 at age 50.
Other works
- "J. D. Salinger Speaks About His Silence", 1974 New York Times interview with Salinger