William Hjortsberg
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William Reinhold "Gatz" Hjortsberg (February 23, 1941 – April 22, 2017) was an American novelist and screenwriter, known for his originality and for writing the screenplay of the film ''
Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...
''. His novel ''
Falling Angel ''Falling Angel'' is a 1978 horror novel by American writer William Hjortsberg. Written in a hardboiled detective style with supernatural themes, it was adapted into the 1987 film ''Angel Heart''. Plot summary Johnny Favorite, a popular croo ...
'' was the basis for the film ''
Angel Heart ''Angel Heart'' is a 1987 American neo-noir psychological horror film, an adaptation of William Hjortsberg's 1978 novel ''Falling Angel''. The film was written and directed by Alan Parker, and stars Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, an ...
'' (1987). The novel was adapted into an opera in 2015, composed by J. Mark Scearce with a libretto by
Lucy Thurber Lucy Thurber is an American playwright based in New York City. She is the recipient of the first Gary Bonasorte Memorial Prize for Playwriting, a Lilly Award and a 2014 OBIE Award for ''The Hill Town Plays''. Biography She was born in ...
. His 2015 novel ''Mañana'' is a thriller set in Mexico. Hjortsberg the only child of a Swedish restaurateur father and a Swiss mother. He attended Dartmouth College, the Yale School of Drama (where he met
Thomas McGuane Thomas Francis McGuane III (born December 11, 1939) is an American writer. His work includes ten novels, short fiction and screenplays, as well as three collections of essays devoted to his life in the outdoors. He is a member of the American A ...
), and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. He was married three times, and had a son and a daughter. He died of pancreatic cancer.


Novels

*''Alp'' (1969) *'' Gray Matters'' (1971) *''Symbiography'' (1973) *''Toro! Toro! Toro!'' (1974) *''
Falling Angel ''Falling Angel'' is a 1978 horror novel by American writer William Hjortsberg. Written in a hardboiled detective style with supernatural themes, it was adapted into the 1987 film ''Angel Heart''. Plot summary Johnny Favorite, a popular croo ...
'' (1978) *''Tales & Fables'' (1985), published by Sylvester & Orphanos *''
Nevermore Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had n ...
'' (1994) *''Mañana'' (2015) *''Angel's Inferno'' (2020)


Screenplays

*'' Thunder and Lightning'' (1977) *''
The Georgia Peaches ''The Georgia Peaches'' (also known as ''Follow That Car'') is a 1980 American made-for-television action-adventure comedy film produced by Roger Corman as a pilot for a proposed television series. It starred Tanya Tucker, Terri Nunn and Dirk Ben ...
'' (1980) (TV) *''
Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...
'' (1985)


Nonfiction

* A biography of writer
Richard Brautigan Richard Gary Brautigan (January 30, 1935 – c. September 16, 1984) was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. A prolific writer, he wrote throughout his life and published ten novels, two collections of short stories, and four bo ...
.


References


External links


William Hjortsberg official website
* 1941 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American novelists American horror writers American male novelists American mystery writers American science fiction writers American male screenwriters Writers from New York City 20th-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Screenwriters from New York (state) Deaths from pancreatic cancer Deaths from cancer in Montana {{US-screen-writer-stub