Yuri Rasovsky facts for kids

Yuri Rasovsky (born July 29, 1944, died January 18, 2012) was a talented American writer and producer. He was famous for creating exciting radio dramas and audiobooks. Radio dramas are like movies you listen to, using sounds and voices to tell a story. Audiobooks are books read aloud, often by actors.

Yuri started his own group, The National Radio Theater of Chicago, in 1973. He ran it until 1986. Later, in 1993, he created the Hollywood Theater of the Ear. In the 1990s, he began focusing more on audiobooks. Many of his radio plays are now available as recordings or online. New plays by him are being released by Blackstone Audio. Yuri Rasovsky passed away in 2012.

Amazing Audio Stories by Yuri Rasovsky

Yuri Rasovsky wrote, directed, or produced over 150 audio plays. Here are some of his most well-known works:

• The Chicago Language Tape (1972): An early work.
• The Odyssey of Homer (1980): This audio play won a George Foster Peabody Award. This award is like a big prize for excellence in radio and television.
• By His Bootstraps (1984): This science fiction story was honored in the Mark Time's Science Fiction Audio Hall of Fame.
• Craven Street (1993): Another one of his popular radio plays.
• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1998): This was based on an old silent movie and updated by Yuri.
• 2000X: Tales of the Next Millennium (1999–2000): This was a series of 26 one-hour programs for NPR. It won a Bradbury Award, which is a special award for science fiction and fantasy.
• Sweeney Todd and The String of Pearls (2007): This audio drama won three Audie Awards in 2008. Audie Awards are like the "Oscars" for audiobooks. It won for Best Audio Drama, Best Audiobook Original, and for its great production.
• The Maltese Falcon (2008): This audio play featured famous actors like Michael Madsen, Sandra Oh, and Edward Herrmann. It was nominated for a Grammy Award and won an Audie Award for Best Adaptation.
• Saint Joan (2010): This play had a big cast, including Amy Irving and Edward Herrmann. It won the Audie Award for Best Audio Drama of 2010.
• The Mark of Zorro (2011): This audio play starred Val Kilmer. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award.

Books Written by Yuri Rasovsky

Yuri Rasovsky also wrote books about his craft. He wrote The Well-tempered Audio Dramatist in 2006. He also co-wrote WKID: Easy Radio Plays for Children with Carol Madden Adorjan in 1987. This book helped kids create their own radio plays.

Awards and Honors

Over his career, Yuri Rasovsky won many important awards for his audio work. These include:

• two George Foster Peabody Awards
• three Grammy nominations and one Grammy Award
• five Ohio State awards
• nine Audie Awards
• four Major Armstrong awards
• four Publishers Weekly Listen Up awards
• two Corporation for Public Broadcasting awards
• the Independent Publishers' Audio Award
• the Gabriel Award
• the NFCB Golden Reel
• Mark Time Lifetime Achievement Award
• Booklist Editor's Pick
• the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Bradbury Award

Family Connections

Some of Yuri Rasovsky's notable relatives include:

• Barney Ross
• Solomon Rosowsky
• Baruch Leib Rosowsky

Related Topics

You might also be interested in:

• Thomas Lopez
• National Audio Theatre Festival
• Norman Corwin
• Arch Oboler
• Giles Cooper