Leslie Fiedler

Date of Birth: March 8, 1917

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Date of Death: January 29, 2003

Biography

Leslie Aaron Fiedler was an American literary critic, known for his innovative and often controversial viewpoints. He was born on March 8, 1917, in Newark, New Jersey. Fiedler’s work spanned several decades and included essays, reviews, and critical studies that examined American literature through various lenses, including race, sexuality, and popular culture. His most famous work, “Love and Death in the American Novel” (1960), argued that American literature is fundamentally about the tension between the civilized and the wild, and often grapples with themes of race and gender. Fiedler was a professor at Montana State University and the State University of New York at Buffalo. His essays frequently appeared in major publications such as Harper’s, Playboy, and Partisan Review. Fiedler was known for his ability to blend high and low culture, analyzing everything from classic literature to comic books. He passed away on January 29, 2003, leaving behind a legacy of thought-provoking critique that continues to influence literary studies today.

5 Interesting Facts about Leslie Fiedler

1. Fiedler’s groundbreaking essay “Come Back to the Raft Ag’in, Huck Honey!” (1948) explored homoerotic subtext in American literature.

2. He was a vocal critic of the academic establishment, often challenging traditional literary interpretations.

3. Fiedler coined the term “postmodernism” in literary studies.

4. He was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994.

5. Fiedler had a cameo appearance in the film “Slaughterhouse-Five,” based on Kurt Vonnegut’s novel.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Leslie Fiedler

1. “The novel is the only popular art form left where the hero can still be a man of honor.”

2. “Americans have no past, so they have no history. But they do have a history of the future.”

3. “Cross the border, close the gap.”

4. “In America, our icons are always a mix of the sacred and the profane.”

5. “The world is a comic book, and we are the superheroes.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Leslie Fiedler’s highest net worth is not widely documented, but as an academic and critic, his financial success was more modest compared to commercial writers and entertainers.