ALAN FRIEDMAN

1928 - 2019

FRIEDMAN--Alan Howard. Alan Howard Friedman passed away peacefully on March 24, 2019 at the age of 91 at home in Escondido, CA with his wife at his side. Born to Harry and Mina Friedman on January 4, 1928 in Brooklyn, NY, Alan and his younger sister Linda Wolfe Pollack (born November 15, 1933) are the grandchildren of Ukrainian and Russian immigrants. Harry was CFO at HIAS for 30 years. Alan received his B.A. in English Literature from Harvard University in 1949, his M.A. in English Literature from Columbia University in 1950, and his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley in 1964. Alan was a novelist, short story writer, and literary critic. He taught English and creative writing as a professor at Colombia University, Swarthmore College, and the University of Illinois, Chicago, where he served as director of the creative writing program in the English department. He reviewed fiction for the New York Times Book Review from 1978 to 1998. He was nominated for the National Book Award in 1973 for his novel Hermaphrodeity. His short story "Willy Nilly," published in the January 1968 edition of New American Review, served as the basis for the 1987 film "Something Special," directed by Paul Schneider. Alan was a devoted husband and caring father. He married Lenore Helman of New York, NY on October 1st, 1950. They had one son, Gregory. Alan married Kate Miller Gilbert of El Cerrito, CA on October 30, 1977 in New York City. They had one son, Alexander. Alan will be interred in the Sunset Mausoleum in El Cerrito, CA. Services will be held for family. Alan's favorite charities are Amnesty International and PETA.