Donald J. Sobol
| Donald J. Sobol | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 4, 1924 New York City, New York |
| Died | July 11, 2012 (aged 87) Miami, Florida |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Genre | Juvenile Mystery Fiction |
| Notable works | Encyclopedia Brown |
| Spouse | Rose Tiplitz |
Donald J. Sobol (October 4, 1924 – July 11, 2012) was an award-winning American writer best known for his children's books, especially the Encyclopedia Brown mystery series.
Sobol was born in The Bronx, New York City, the son of Ira J. and Ida (Gelula) Sobol. His father owned a few gas stations that eventually were sold. He attended the NYC Ethical Culture Fieldston School and graduated from the Fieldston School in New York City in 1942. Sobol served with the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II in the Pacific Theater. Following the war, he attended Oberlin College, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He also attended the New School of Social Research.
He started his professional career as a copy boy for the New York Sun, eventually working his way up to reporter. In 1949, he took a job at the Daily News, and worked there for two years. After a brief stint as a buyer at Macy's in New York, he moved to Florida and started writing full-time.
He started writing the syndicated series Two-Minute Mysteries in 1959, starring criminologist Dr. Haledjian. It proved very popular and ran for more than ten years. In 1963, he started writing the Encyclopedia Brown series, featuring amateur sleuth Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown. Compared with the Two-Minute Mysteries series, which features crimes as serious as murder, the Encyclopedia Brown books are more juvenile-oriented, often dealing with matters such as pranks or petty theft. Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown titles have never been out of print and have been translated into twelve languages. In 1975, the Mystery Writers of America honored Sobol and his Encyclopedia Brown series with a Special Edgar Award. The last book in the series penned by Sobol, Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme, was published in October 2012, three months after the author's death. The author was turned down over two dozen times before finally getting his first Encyclopedia Brown book published.
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