Loren Adelson Singer (March 5, 1923, – December 19, 2009) was an American novelist, known best for his 1970 political thriller ''The Parallax View'', which was made as a successful 1974 movie, of the same name.Grimes, William
"Loren Singer, ‘Parallax View’ Author, Dies at 86"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', December 23, 2009. Accessed December 28, 2009.

Early life

Singer was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, on March 5, 1923. After he completed high school he enlisted with the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He was sent to

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

by the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...

to study the

Malay language Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...

, but the war ended before he could serve active duty. While with the OSS, Singer learned details of covert operations that became the theme of many of his novels. After the war ended, in 1947, Singer earned an undergraduate degree in English from the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

and married Erma Rosenstadt.

Career

Singer and his wife relocated to New York City during the early 1950s. There he worked for his father-in-law's printing business while he wrote for such television programs as ''

Kraft Television Theater ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Cheese ...

'', '' Studio One'' and ''

Westinghouse Playhouse ''Westinghouse Playhouse'' is an American sitcom that aired from January to July 1961 on NBC. Starring Nanette Fabray, the series was also known as ''The Nanette Fabray Show'', ''Westinghouse Playhouse Starring Nanette Fabray and Wendell Corey'', ...

''. His 1970 novel ''The Parallax View'' was adapted into the film of the same name which tells the story of a reporter who investigates a series of deaths of witnesses of the assassination of a presidential candidate, whose death had been attributed to a lone gunman. The book was published in 1970 at a time when there was still much controversy concerning a series of political assassinations during the previous decade. The book allowed him to quit his job as a printing salesman working for his father-in-law. The movie featured actors

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

Hume Cronyn Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. OC (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor and writer. Early life Cronyn, one of five children, was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Hume Blake Cronyn, Sr., was a businessman and ...

William Daniels William David Daniels (born March 31, 1927) is an American actor, who is best known for his television roles, notably as Mark Craig in the drama series '' St. Elsewhere'', for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards; the voice of KITT in the tel ...

, and

Paula Prentiss Paula Prentiss (née Ragusa; born March 4, 1938) is an American actress. She is best known for her film roles in ''Where the Boys Are'' (1960), ''What's New Pussycat?'' (1965), ''Catch-22 (film), Catch-22'' (1970), ''The Parallax View'' (1974), a ...

. Other novels Singer wrote included the 1973 police procedural ''That's the House, There'', in which the story is told as the telephone conversations of a police sergeant, while his 1974 book ''Boca Grande'' involves intrigue in Cuba concerning a Bahamas-Jamaica yacht race. His 1993 novel ''Making Good'' is the story of a conspiracy discovered by U.S. Army soldiers who discover a trove of art looted by the Germans during World War 2.Miller, Roland Foster
"Westchester Bookcase"
''

'', December 8, 1991. Accessed December 28, 2009.

Death

A resident of

Mamaroneck, New York Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of Ma ...

, Singer died on December 19, 2009, aged 86. He was survived by his wife, three sons, and six grandchildren.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Singer, Loren 1923 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists United States Army personnel of World War II American mystery writers American political writers Ohio State University alumni Writers from Buffalo, New York People from Mamaroneck, New York Yale University alumni 20th-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers People of the Office of Strategic Services