Plimpton's career expanded beyond the literary world into television, film, and commercials. Plimpton went on to publish a book on the topic called Fireworks: A History and Celebration (1984). In 1983, he helped to coordinate the Brooklyn Bridge 100th anniversary fireworks celebration, resulting in his appointment as unofficial fireworks commissioner of New York City by Mayor John Lindsay. Plimpton worked as a demolitions expert during his Army service, inspiring a lifelong interest in fireworks, which he routinely set off illegally at parties. Plimpton also wrote biographies of Truman Capote in 1997, and of the Antarctic explorer, Ernest Shackleton, in 2003. (1984) and The Norton Book of Sport (1992). In addition to his sports writing, Plimpton also served as editor on a number of projects including Jean Stein's American Journey: Life and Times of Robert Kennedy (1970) and Edie: An American Biography (1982) Pierre Etchebaster's Pierre's Book: The Game of Court Tennis (1971) Diana Vreeland's D.V. The story first appeared in the page of Sports Illustrated in 1985, and was later published in expanded form as a novel in 1987. The second, entitled The Curious Case of Sidd Finch, was a notorious April Fool's prank that profiled a fictional pitcher, Hayden Siddhartha "Sidd" Finch, who could throw a 168 mile per hour fastball. The first was an illustrated children's book, The Rabbit's Umbrella (1955). Plimpton published two works of fiction in his lifetime. He also wrote biographical accounts of the Detroit Lions' Alex 'Mad Duck' Karras and John 'the Bear' Gordy in Mad Ducks and Bears (1973), and co-authored a biography chronicling the final season of the Green Bay Packers' Bill Curry in One More July (1977). Plimpton wrote of his experience pitching in a major league baseball game in Out of My League (1961) playing backup quarterback with the Detroit Lions in Paper Lion (1966) playing golf as part of the PGA tour in The Bogey Man (1967) boxing against World Light Heavyweight champion Archie Moore in Shadow Box (1977) and playing goalie with the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins in Open Net (1985). Plimpton was known for his immersive journalistic pursuits into the world of sports, some of which began as Sports Illustrated assignments, and were ultimately published as full books. Plimpton was a frequent contributor to Sports Illustrated, and also penned pieces for such publications as Esquire, Harper's, Life, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Playboy. In 1953, Plimpton helped to found the literary magazine, The Paris Review, where he served as editor-in-chief until 2003. He earned a Bachelor's degree in English in 1950, and then went on to study at Cambridge University in England, where he earned a second Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in English. A year later, Plimpton was drafted into the United States Army, where he served until 1948. Bernard's School and Phillips Exeter Academy before enrolling at Harvard in 1944. Plimpton was born in New York City on March 18, 1927. George Ames Plimpton (1927-2003) was a journalist, author, and literary editor best known for co-founding the Paris Review, and for his participatory style of sports writing.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |