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Deaths on December 16

William Gaddis
1998Dec, 16

William Gaddis

William Gaddis, American author and academic (b. 1922)
William Thomas Gaddis, Jr. (December 29, 1922 – December 16, 1998) was an American novelist.

The first and longest of his five novels, The Recognitions, was named one of TIME magazine's 100 best novels from 1923 to 2005

and two others, J R and A Frolic of His Own, won the annual U.S. National Book Award for Fiction.

A collection of his essays was published posthumously as The Rush for Second Place (2002). The Letters of William Gaddis was published by Dalkey Archive Press in February 2013.

Gaddis is widely considered one of the first and most important American postmodern writers.

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Events on 1998

  • 4May

    Unabomber

    A federal judge in Sacramento, California, gives "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski four life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepts a plea agreement sparing him from the death penalty.
  • 6May

    Houston Astros

    Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his fifth career start.
  • 26May

    Ellis Island

    The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.
  • 4Jun

    Oklahoma City bombing

    Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
  • 5Jun

    General Motors

    A strike begins at the General Motors parts factory in Flint, Michigan, that quickly spreads to five other assembly plants. The strike lasts seven weeks.