Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Esther Hautzig, R.I.P.


When I was about 12 or 13 I picked up The Endless Steppe and was simply captivated by the story. There are few books in my life that have had such a massive impact on me emotionally, in fact, this and The Diary of Anne Frank may be the two which have had the most. I read today that Esther Hautzig the writer of The Endless Steppe passed away at age 79 here in New York. I bought and re-read it in 2007 and cried and cried just like I did the first time. On the jacket it said she lived in New York and I had a thought to reach out to her and tell her how much her words meant but of course life took over and I didn't. I hope to go to Vilna someday (my great great grandfather was from there too) and think of her and how important her life was.

Obituary from the New York Times.