Alan Howard Friedman (1928-2019) was born to Harry and Mina Friedman in Brooklyn, NY. Alan and his younger sister, Linda Wolfe Pollack, are the grandchildren of Ukrainian and Russian immigrants. Harry was CFO at HIAS for 30 years. He received his B.A. in English Literature from Harvard University in 1949, his M.A. in English Literature from Columbia University in 1950, and his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley in 1964. Friedman was a novelist, short story writer, and literary critic. He taught English and creative writing as a professor at Colombia University, Swarthmore College, and the University of Illinois, Chicago, where he served as director of the creative writing program in the English department. He reviewed fiction for the New York Times Book Review from 1978 to 1998. He was nominated for the National Book Award in 1973 for his novel Hermaphrodeity. His short story "Willy Nilly," published in the January 1968 edition of New American Review, served as the basis for the 1987 film "Something Special," directed by Paul Schneider. He married Lenore Helman of New York, NY on October 1950. They had one son, Gregory. Alan married Kate Miller Gilbert of El Cerrito, CA on October 30, 1977 in New York City. They had one son, Alexander.
Alan Friedman
Studios
Watson
Alan Friedman worked in the Watson studio.
Built in 1916 in memory of Regina Watson of Chicago, a musician and teacher, this studio was donated by a group of her friends, along with funds for its maintenance. Originally designed to serve as a composers’ studio with room for performance, Watson was used as a recital hall for chamber music for a…