Richard M. Elman

Who was Richard M. Elman?

Richard Elman was a novelist, poet, journalist, and teacher. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Yiddish-speaking and came to the United States at the turn of the 20th century from Russo-Poland. His boyhood is captured in his comic novel Fredi & Shirl & The Kids: An Autobiography In Fables.

At Syracuse University, Elman's teachers, Daniel Curley and Donald Dike, encouraged his writing. At Syracuse, Elman met Emily Schorr, who became a painter. They married in 1955, and in 1964 their daughter Margaret was born. The marriage ended in divorce. In 1979, Elman married Alice Goode, a teacher, who was his wife until his death. Their daughter Lila was born in 1981.

Elman thought of himself as a socialist and his journalism reflected his concerns about social and political injustice.