Bernau, George 1945–2005
Bernau, George 1945–2005
OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born February 14, 1945, in Minneapolis, MN; died of complications following a stroke, December 12, 2005, in Seattle, WA. Attorney and writer. Bernau gained considerable renown for his first novel, Promises to Keep (1988), which earned him 750,000 dollars, a record advance for a first-time novelist. Graduating from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1966, he initially worked in marketing for the motion picture company Universal Studios. Bernau then decided to go back to USC to earn a law degree in 1973. Joining the San Diego firm Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps, he concentrated on his career until a 1977 car accident that nearly killed him compelled him to reevaluate his life. Deciding he would like to pursue a writing career, he quit his law firm in 1979 and became a struggling writer. His fortunes changed dramatically when he published Promises to Keep, a what-if novel that posits what might have happened had President John F. Kennedy not died from his assassin's bullets. This was followed by similar concept stories involving actress Marilyn Monroe (1990's Candle in the Wind) and Joseph Goebbels (1994's Black Phoenix). After his second novel, however, Bernau would not produce another bestseller. He spent his last years writing scripts and newspaper book reviews.
OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:
PERIODICALS
Los Angeles Times, December 27, 2005, p. B11.