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William Hjortsberg
Born (1941-02-23)February 23, 1941
New York City, New York, United States
Died April 22, 2017(2017-04-22) (aged 76)
Livingston, Montana
Occupation Novelist, screenwriter
Genre Mystery, screenwriting

William Reinhold "Gatz" Hjortsberg (born February 23, 1941 – died April 22, 2017) was an American writer. He was known for his unique ideas and for writing the movie script for the fantasy film Legend.

One of his most famous books, Falling Angel, was made into the movie Angel Heart in 1987. Later, in 2015, this book was even turned into an opera, which is a play where the words are sung.

William Hjortsberg's last book, Mañana, came out in 2015. It was a thrilling story set in Mexico.

About William Hjortsberg

William Hjortsberg was the only child of his parents. His father was from Sweden and owned a restaurant, and his mother was from Switzerland.

He went to several schools to study. He attended Dartmouth College and the Yale School of Drama. At Yale, he met another writer named Thomas McGuane. William also received a special writing scholarship called a Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University.

He was married three times during his life and had a son and a daughter. William Hjortsberg passed away in 2017 from pancreatic cancer.

His Creative Works

William Hjortsberg wrote many different kinds of stories. He was known for both his novels (books) and his screenplays (scripts for movies).

Books He Wrote

Here are some of the novels William Hjortsberg published:

  • Alp (1969)
  • Gray Matters (1971)
  • Symbiography (1973)
  • Toro! Toro! Toro! (1974)
  • Falling Angel (1978) – This book was later made into the movie Angel Heart.
  • Tales & Fables (1985)
  • Nevermore (1994)
  • Mañana (2015) – His last novel.
  • Angel's Inferno (2020) – Published after he passed away.

Movies He Wrote For

William Hjortsberg also wrote scripts for films and TV shows. These are called screenplays.

  • Thunder and Lightning (1977)
  • The Georgia Peaches (1980) (This was a TV movie)
  • Legend (1985) – A well-known fantasy film.

Nonfiction Writing

Besides fiction, William Hjortsberg also wrote one nonfiction book. This means it was based on real facts and events.

  • Hjortsberg, William (2012). Jubilee Hitchhiker: The Life and Times of Richard Brautigan. Counterpoint Press. ISBN 9781582437903.

This book was a biography about the life of another writer named Richard Brautigan.

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