E. M. Nathanson facts for kids

Erwin Nathanson (February 17, 1928 – April 5, 2016) was an American author. He is best known for writing the novel The Dirty Dozen in 1965. This book was later made into a very popular movie with the same name.

Early Life and Education

Erwin Nathanson was born in 1928 in The Bronx, a part of New York City. When he was two years old, his mother became ill and went into a special care center. Because of this, Erwin lived in a Jewish orphanage in Manhattan until he was seven.

After that, he moved to the Hebrew National Orphan Home in Yonkers. He stayed there and finished high school. Later, he went to New York University. He studied anthropology, which is the study of human societies and cultures.

Writing Career

Erwin Nathanson had many different jobs in writing and editing. He worked as a copy editor for Fairchild Publications in New York. A copy editor checks written work for mistakes and makes sure it is clear.

He was also a reporter for the Arlington Sun newspaper in Virginia. He worked as a stringer for The Washington Post, which means he was a freelance reporter who sent in stories. He also wrote articles for various magazines.

By 1959, Nathanson was living in Los Angeles. There, he worked as an associate editor for Daring Detective magazine. He also edited a group of "pulp magazines," which were inexpensive magazines often printed on cheap paper and featuring exciting stories.

The Dirty Dozen Novel

Erwin Nathanson's most famous work is his novel The Dirty Dozen. It was published in 1965 and became a huge success. The book sold more than two million copies and was translated into 10 different languages.

Inspiration for the Story

The idea for The Dirty Dozen came from a story Nathanson heard about World War II. It was about a group of soldiers who were criminals. They were supposedly sent on a very dangerous mission. These soldiers were nicknamed "the Dirty Dozen" or "Filthy Thirteen" because they didn't like to bathe. The "Filthy Thirteen" was a real group of American paratroopers.

Nathanson heard this story from his friend Russ Meyer, a film producer. Meyer said he learned about it while working as a combat photographer during the war.

Writing the Book

Erwin Nathanson spent two years trying to find out if the story was true. Even though he couldn't fully confirm it, he still got a contract to write a book. He and his editor decided to make the story into a fictional novel. This means they used the idea as a starting point but created their own characters and events.

Later Life and Death

Erwin Nathanson passed away on April 5, 2016. He was 88 years old. He died from heart failure at his home in Laguna Niguel, California. He is survived by his partner, Elizabeth Henderson, and his son, Michael.

See also

In Spanish: Erwin Nathanson para niños