Ozick, Cynthia (1928–)

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Ozick, Cynthia (1928–)

Jewish-American novelist, essayist, playwright, short-story writer, and poet. Born Cynthia Ozick, April 17, 1928, in New York, NY; raised in the Bronx; dau. of William Ozick (pharmacy owner) and Celia (Regelson) Ozick (both Russian immigrants); attended Hunter College High School, New York University; Ohio State University, MA; m. Bernard Hallote (lawyer), 1952; children: Rachel Hallotte (PhD in biblical archaeology).

One of most important of 20th-century Jewish-American writers, translated Yiddish poetry and published many reviews; writings, suffused with central European culture, include Trust (1966), The Pagan Rabbi and Other Stories (1971), Bloodshed and Three Novellas (1976), Levitation: Five Fictions (1982), Art and Ardor Essays (1983), The Messiah of Stockholm (1987), Metaphor and Memory (1989, Fame and Folly (1996), The Puttermesser Papers (1997), and Quarrel and Quandary: Essays (2000); also wrote the play The Shawl, 1st produced off-Broadway (1996). Thrice won O. Henry Prize for short stories; was the 1st recipient of the Michael Rea Award (1986).