Warren Adler facts for kids

Warren Adler (born December 16, 1927 – died April 15, 2019) was an American author. He also wrote plays and poems. His book The War of the Roses became a popular movie. This movie was a dark comedy starring famous actors like Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.

Adler wrote many essays, short stories, and poems. His books have been translated into 25 different languages.

Early Life and Education

Warren Adler was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents, Fritzie and Sol Adler, were immigrants from Russia. He went to P.S. 91 and Brooklyn Technical High School. Later, he studied at New York University and The New School.

Some of his classmates were also famous writers, like Mario Puzo. In 2009, New York University honored Adler as "Alumni of the Year." He also started the Jackson Hole Writer's Conference in Wyoming.

Career Before Writing

After college, Adler worked for the New York Daily News. He then became an editor for a weekly newspaper called the Queens Post. During the Korean War, he served in the US Army. He worked in the Pentagon as a reporter for the Armed Forces Press Service.

Before becoming a successful writer, Adler was an entrepreneur. This means he started and ran his own businesses. He owned four radio stations and one TV station. He also had his own advertising and public relations company in Washington, D.C. His company, Warren Adler Ltd., helped with advertising for politicians and businesses. He even named the Watergate complex. In 1974, he closed his company to focus on writing. This was after his first book, Undertow, was published.

Warren Adler's Writing Career

Warren Adler wrote many well-known books. Two of his most famous are The War of the Roses and Random Hearts.

Books Made into Movies

The War of the Roses was made into a movie in 1989. It starred Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito. Another book, Random Hearts, also became a movie in 1999. This film starred Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas.

Adler's book Private Lies was very popular even before it was published. A magazine called Newsweek reported that a film company paid $1.2 million for the movie rights. This was a very high amount for a book that hadn't even been printed yet!

Other Works and Adaptations

Adler also wrote The Sunset Gang. This book was turned into a TV series for American Playhouse. It starred actors like Uta Hagen and Jerry Stiller. One of the actresses, Doris Roberts, even received an Emmy nomination for her role. The Sunset Gang was also made into a musical show that played off-Broadway.

In 1981, Adler wrote a follow-up to The War of the Roses. It was called The Children of the Roses. This book looked at how the divorce of the main characters affected their children.

In 1986, Adler started his own company, Soaring Eagle Productions. He wanted to help turn his books into Hollywood movies. Some of the films he worked on included The War of the Roses and Random Hearts.

Digital Publishing Pioneer

Warren Adler was one of the first authors to believe in electronic publishing. In the early 2000s, he thought that printed books would become less common. He believed that digital books would become the new normal. He bought back the rights to all his old books. Now, they are published by his own company, Stonehouse Press.

He wrote an article for The Author's Guild about how publishing was changing. He told other authors that they should take charge of their own careers. He felt that traditional publishers no longer had all the control over marketing and distributing books.

Adler also wrote regularly for The Huffington Post. He supported a visiting writer series at New York University. He was a member of several important writing groups. These included the Authors Guild and the Writers Guild of America.

The War of the Roses Stage Play

The story of The War of the Roses has also been performed as a play. It has been shown in many countries around the world. These include Belgium, Italy, Germany, and France. There are also plans for it to be performed on Broadway in New York City.

Fiona Fitzgerald Mystery Series

Warren Adler wrote a series of mystery books about a character named Fiona Fitzgerald. Fiona is a woman in her 30s. She comes from a famous family, but she decided to become a homicide detective instead.

American Quartet was the first book in this series. The New York Times listed it as a "Notable Crime Fiction" book in 1982. They called it "high-class suspense." After this first book, Fiona solves many difficult cases in eight more books.

• The Witch of Watergate: This book is about the death of a gossip columnist. The columnist is found hanging from a balcony.
• Senator Love: This story is about a senator whose lover is found murdered.
• The Death of a Washington Madame: This book focuses on the murder of an important hostess in Washington D.C.
• Washington Masquerade: In this book, Fiona investigates the death of a political columnist. This columnist was a strong critic of the government.

Personal Life

Warren Adler had three children: David, Jonathan, and Michael. Michael is an actor.

Warren Adler passed away on April 15, 2019. He was 91 years old. He died from liver cancer in his apartment in Manhattan.