Fred Hills
Fred Hills | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frederic Wheeler Hills Jr. November 26, 1934 East Orange, New Jersey,United States |
| Died | November 7, 2020(aged 85) Bronxville,New York,United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
|
| Occupation | Literary editor |
| Employers | |
| Spouse | Kathleen Matthews |
| Children | 3 sons and a daughter |
| Parents |
|
Frederic Wheeler Hills Jr.(1934–2020), popularly known asFred Hills,was an Americanliterary editor,formerly employed withMcGraw HillandSimon & Schuster.He was known for his association with several major writers includingVladimir Nabokov,Raymond CarverandHeinrich Böll.
Biography
[edit]Fred Hills was born on 26 November 1934 to Frederic Wheeler Hills, an engineer, and his homemaker wife, Mildred Chambers (Hood) Hills, in the city ofEast OrangeinEssex County, New Jersey.[note 1][1]His higher education was atColumbia Collegewhere he had the opportunity to study under noted literary critics such asMark Van DorenandLionel Trillingand after earning a bachelor's degree in English in 1956, he continued his studies atStanford Universityto secure a master's degree in English in 1958.[note 2]Subsequently, he joined theUnited States Armyat theirFort Ordpost. Later, he worked as a salesperson at the San Francisco Emporium book store[2]before moving to literary career by joiningMcGraw Hilland started work at their college text books division, eventually becoming the editor in chief of the division. Soon, he was appointed as the editor in chief of the trade books division and it was here he got the opportunity to work withVladimir Nabokov,which proved to be a turning point in his career. The association with Nabokov continued until the writer's death in 1977, before which the writer completed his last novel,Look at the Harlequins!,in 1974.[note 3][3]
LeavingMcGraw Hillin 1979, Hills joinedSimon & Schusteras a member of the editorial board and the job provided him with the opportunity to work with several noted personalities such asM. Scott Peck,William Saroyan,Ann Rule,Jane FondaandArianna Huffington.[4]He was also associated withRaymond Carver,James McGregor Burns,Phil DonahueandDavid Halberstam,among others.[5]and some of the titles he was involved with arePulitzerwinningThe Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and PowerbyDaniel Yergin,Madonna UnauthorizedbyChristopher AndersenandThe Stranger Beside MebyAnn Rule.[6]
Fred Hills, whose first marriage had ended in a divorce, married Kathleen Matthews, a noted writer whom he had worked for atMcGraw Hill,in 1980 and the couple had a daughter, Christina Hills Brown and three sons, Bradford, Gregory and Frederic. He died on 7 November 2020 at his home inBronxville, New York,at the age of 85, survived by his wife, children, Stuart Hills, his brother and his granddaughter.[1]
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]- ^Hills was delivered by known poet and pediatrician,William Carlos Williams
- ^It was during this time, he was tutored byPulitzer laureate,Wallace Stegner
- ^After Nabokov died, I no longer felt any great inclination to hang around McGraw Hill,Hills once said in an interview.
References
[edit]- ^abSeelye, Katharine Q. (2020-11-20)."Fred Hills, Editor of Nabokov and Many Others, Dies at 85".The New York Times.Retrieved2020-11-22.
- ^Enriquez, Mariana."Shelf Awareness for Tuesday, November 17, 2020".shelf-awareness.Retrieved2020-11-22.
- ^"Nabokov was the most dazzling of them all"(PDF).Nabokov Online Journal, Vol. XIII (2019).Retrieved2020-11-22.
- ^"Shaped by wonderful teachers, shaping wonderful books".Times Review.Retrieved2020-11-22.
- ^Riya Roy."Fred Hills Dies at 85".acqro.in.Retrieved2020-11-22.
- ^Team, Pehal News (2020-11-21)."Editor of Nabokov Dies at 85".Pehal News.Retrieved2020-11-22.
External links
[edit]- "Obituary: Fred Hills, 85".publishersweekly.Retrieved2020-11-22.
- Pass, News."Fred Hills, Editor of Nabokov and Many Others, Dies at 85".NewsPass.Retrieved2020-11-22.
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