Books by Donald Friedman
Welcome!
I’m Donald Friedman, author of novels, short stories, essays, and large and small books of non-fiction. Curious about everything (some might say pathologically so) my books and blogs cover an odd mix of topics—the lives and works of writer-artists, a fascination with language that resulted in a humorous book about dog terms, a blog about words derived from chemistry, and the mind-destroying disease, CJD, that took the life of my sister.
Since there’s only so much one guy can discover on his own, I hope you’ll send me an email with writer-artists or dog terms or chemistry words I’ve overlooked, or your own experience with dementing illness. Or anything else you care to share.
Latest Blog Post
The genius of Ralph Steadman can be found in the more than 50 books he’s written or illustrated (or both written and illustrated), in his famous partnership with Hunter Thompson and the creation of Gonzo journalism—the two not just covering…
Read MoreWriter-Artists
Interested in great writers who were also visual artists? Check out The Writer’s Brush: Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture by Writers, now out in six languages. The New York Times Sunday Book Review described it as “sparkling audaciously on every page,” and the American Libraries Association called “a grand feat of research and interpretation.”
See on-camera interviews with such writer-artists as Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Derek Walcott, and Tom Wolfe. While you’re at it, tour the gallery of artwork by writers.
Laugh and Learn
Enjoy a laugh or two as you enlarge your vocabulary with You’re My Dawg, Dog: A Lexicon of Dog Terms for People. Sample the plats du jour on my blog—essays inspired by dog terms and a lighthearted lexical commentary in better words through chemistry.
24-7 With Phyllis
For the many whose lives have been affected by Alzheimer’s or other dementing illnesses, in 24/7 With Phyllis, I tell the story of my sister’s death from CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease), a literal one-in-a-million horror that is caused by a non-living thing that the astonished scientific world was forced to accept is contagious.