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Deep Woods Writer
09-28-2009, 04:53 PM
One of the greatest writers of the past 30 years died last night at a hospice in Maryland.

William Safire, writing for the NYT Op-Ed section died last night of pancreatic cancer. Safire originally wrote for the Republican's in the Nixon Administration and moved on to the NYT as their 'token Republican' on a liberal editorial staff. He wrote all the way up to the last 30 days of his life.

May we all, as writer's, have the courage to write our perspectives in the face of opposing views and popular trends, no matter what the subject.

"All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke, Member of the British House
Susie
09-30-2009, 06:56 AM
May he R.I.P.
Orientalist
10-02-2009, 01:26 AM
writers. Republicans. It just isn't that hard to get it right.

Calling Safire one of greatest writers is way over the top. Come on, can you name any of his books?

But he wrote a very entertaining language column and he wasn't a snob. He never took the attitude that a new word or expression was inherently bad.
stormie
10-05-2009, 05:16 AM
I loved his "On Language" columns in the NYTimes Magazine every sunday.
Manuel Royal
10-06-2009, 03:41 PM
Though I was 'way far away from Safire politically, he had a way with words. Also, even when I disagreed with his columns, they were reasonable in tone, not the irrational hate-filled screeds that seem to be passing for conservative thought these days.
GraysonMoran
10-07-2009, 05:40 AM
Calling Safire one of greatest writers is way over the top. Come on, can you name any of his books?

That was my immediate thought, exactly. He was a newspaper writer, essentially. Kind of a cool one, but "greatest writers" is really pushing it.
Rachel
10-08-2009, 04:27 AM
Anyone who wins a Pulitzer is great in my book ( and not my fiction one). May he rest in peace.
matwilson
02-20-2011, 02:20 AM
He was a very good wordsmith.
Medievalist
02-20-2011, 03:01 AM
He was a great writer; a lot of what he wrote will probably not be known for a few years--he wrote speeches and letter for a number of White House officials.

And the man won a Pulitzer.
MacAllister
02-20-2011, 03:22 AM
He was a very good wordsmith.

Matwilson, you're coming perilously close to spamming links to your various articles. You've just resurrected a long-dead thread for no other reason that to post a throw-away one-liner so that your sig link will post. That's spamming.

This isn't going to end well for you here, if you persist.