Roger Angell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roger Angell
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Angell in 2015
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| Born | September 19, 1920 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 20, 2022 (aged 101) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Genre | Sports journalism |
| Notable awards | PEN/ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sports Writing (2011) J. G. Taylor Spink Award (2014) |
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| Children | 3 |
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Roger Angell (born September 19, 1920 – died May 20, 2022) was an American writer. He was famous for his articles about sports, especially baseball. He was the only writer chosen by both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Angell wrote for The New Yorker magazine for a very long time. He was also the main editor for fiction stories there. He wrote many books and articles, including a special Christmas poem each year for The New Yorker.
Contents
Early Life and School
Roger Angell was born in New York City on September 19, 1920. His mother, Katharine Sergeant Angell White, was the first fiction editor at The New Yorker. His stepfather was the famous writer E. B. White.
However, Roger was mostly raised by his father, Ernest Angell. His father was a lawyer who later led the American Civil Liberties Union. Roger went to the Pomfret School and then to Harvard University. He also served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
Roger Angell's Writing Career
In 1948, Roger Angell started working at Holiday Magazine. This was a travel magazine that also featured great writers. His first published works were short stories and personal essays. Some of these were put into books like The Stone Arbor and Other Stories (1960).
Angell's first story for The New Yorker was in March 1944. It was called "Three Ladies in the Morning." He kept writing for the magazine until 2020. His colleague, David Remnick, said that Angell helped make The New Yorker famous. His writing and editing skills were very important to the magazine.
Writing About Baseball
Roger Angell started writing about baseball in 1962. The editor of The New Yorker, William Shawn, asked him to go to Florida. He wanted Angell to write about spring training for baseball teams. His first two collections of baseball writings were The Summer Game (1972) and Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion (1977).
People sometimes called Angell the "Poet Laureate of baseball." This means they thought he was the best writer about the sport. However, he did not like that title. One of his essays, "Gone for Good," about the baseball player Steve Blass, is considered one of the best sports articles ever.
Another famous essay by Angell was "The Web of the Game." It was about a great baseball game between two future All-Stars, Ron Darling and Frank Viola. This game happened during the 1981 NCAA baseball tournament. An ESPN journalist called it "perhaps the greatest baseball essay ever penned." Angell also shared his thoughts in the Ken Burns TV series Baseball in 1994.
Later Life and Family
Roger Angell had two daughters, Callie and Alice, with his first wife, Evelyn. He had a son, John Henry, with his second wife, Carol.
His second wife, Carol Rogge Angell, passed away in 2012. They had been married for 48 years. In 2014, he married his third wife, Margaret (Peggy) Moorman.
Roger Angell passed away at his home in New York City on May 20, 2022. He was 101 years old.
Awards and Honors
Roger Angell received many awards for his writing.
- In 1980, he won the George Polk Award for Commentary.
- In 2005, he received the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement.
- In 2011, he won the first PEN/ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sports Writing.
- He was chosen as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007.
- His article This Old Man in The New Yorker won the National Magazine Award for Essays and Criticism in 2015. This article was about the challenges and joys of being 93 years old.
Angell was also honored in the baseball world.
- In 2010, he was added to the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals.
- In 2014, he received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. This award is given to baseball writers for excellent work.
- In 2015, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This was special because he was also recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame.
