RIP William Safire

[2muchcoffeeman]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/us/28safire.html?_r=1&hp

Pancreatic cancer.

 

[spnited]

Regardless of his politics, one of the most brilliant writers of our times, a true master of the language.

RIP

 

[sportsguydave]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/us/28safire.html?_r=1&hp

Pancreatic cancer.

Dang. Quite a run for pancreatic cancer lately. Hopefully all our hard work will lead to a cure in our lifetimes.

Never agreed with a word he wrote ... but he was a master a writing it. RIP, Mr. Safire.

 

[JR]

His "On Language" column in the NYTimes was my favourite weekly read.

 

[John]

His "On Language" column in the NYTimes was my favourite weekly read.

Same here.

 

[zeke12]

Loved his column, loved his dedication to the language.

RIP.

 

[PeteyPirate]

His "On Language" column in the NYTimes was my favourite weekly read.

Favorite

 

[Football_Bat]

Though fiercely a champion of conservatism, his politics of the 1970s would be considered today just a tad right of center. But a wonderful writer and language scholar.

 

[crimsonace]

His language column was required reading in one of my college reporting classes.

RIP to a great columnist (who often did his own reporting) and a great keeper of the English language.

 

[heyabbott]

RIP, he will be missed

I encourage everyone to read Freedom, by Wm Safire.

When this book was published in 1987 I had pretty much stopped reading anything remotely serious or literary. This book rekindled my love of reading, and my passion with well written books.

http://www.amazon.com/FREEDOM-NOVEL-ABRAHAM-LINCOLN-CIVIL/dp/B000YJO8K0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254097900&sr=8-2

 

[YankeeFan]

Never agreed with a word he wrote ... but he was a master a writing it. RIP, Mr. Safire.

His "On Language" column in the NYTimes was my favourite weekly read.

As JR mentioned, how could you not appreciate the "On Language" column?

Always fun & always learned something from it.

 

[da man]

When I worked at one of the NYT's regional papers, the mother ship sent us a behind-the-scenes documentary-type film of Times reporters at work to reinforce good reporting practices (and just to show off). The one thing I remember about it was Safire calling some political big shot (the White House, maybe, or a senator). The receptionist asks him, ``May I tell him what this is regarding?'' and Safire fires back, ``I never say what I'm calling about.''

Goodbye to one of the greats.

 

[trifectarich]

His "On Language" column in the NYTimes was my favourite weekly read.

Ditto. It's a must-read every week.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

When I worked at one of the NYT's regional papers, the mother ship sent us a behind-the-scenes documentary-type film of Times reporters at work to reinforce good reporting practices (and just to show off). The one thing I remember about it was Safire calling some political big shot (the White House, maybe, or a senator). The receptionist asks him, ``May I tell him what this is regarding?'' and Safire fires back, ``I never say what I'm calling about.''

Then, the receptionist should have said, "We don't do any favors for Nixon toadies" and hung up.

"On Language" was a helluva column, though.

 

[finishthehat]

Not to **** on the dead, but Safire went a bit off the deep end during the Clinton era with that language column -- basically took every wild rumor/pseudo-scandal about Clinton as a peg to examine some alleged new word or phrase that arose from it.

Stephen Sondheim called him on it (I think he used the term "near-pathological") in a letter that Safire, to his credit, printed in his column, admitting it was "a good hit."

 

[Boomer7]

Not to **** on the dead, but Safire went a bit off the deep end during the Clinton era with that language column -- basically took every wild rumor/pseudo-scandal about Clinton as a peg to examine some alleged new word or phrase that arose from it.

Stephen Sondheim called him on it (I think he used the term "near-pathological") in a letter that Safire, to his credit, printed in his column, admitting it was "a good hit."

Sondheim vs. Safire would have been a fun debate.