Lawrence Jeffrey Epstein (born 1946) is an American author who writes and lectures about American culture and society, Jewish life, and mystery fiction. He is best known for his bookThe Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America and his Danny Ryle Mysteries series. He writes intermittently aboutBob Dylan and popular culture forThe Best American Poetry blog.[1]
Epstein was born inNew York City and raised there and in Sag Harbor, New York. His father was a merchant and Veterans’ Counselor. His mother was a photographer and housewife. He got a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from theUniversity at Albany. From 1974 until 2008 he was a professor of English atSuffolk County Community College, where he also held jobs as assistant head of the Department of English and chairperson of the Humanities Division.
In an interview, Epstein described his intentions forThe Haunted Smile: “I wanted to tell the story of Jewish comedians in America starting at the turn of the 20th century…Then I traced the history of the comedians throughvaudeville, radio, movies, and tv…I was interested, for example, in how one generation of comedians influenced another. I got to go to a Friars Roast and go backstage at a comedy club. I also interviewed more than 70 people…I wanted to include the struggles Jewish comedians had, and the weight of their past.”[2]
FilmmakerMichael J. Epstein is his son.
In 2018, he started publishing The Danny Ryle Mysteries, including the titles: At the end of 2018 he began to publish his most successful mystery series. The books in the series include: The Dead Don’t Talk, A Darker Shade of Blood, The Starry Night of Death, and The Hunted Girl.
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