Lawrence Dorr (1925 – December 7, 2014) was the pen name of Janos Shoemyen,[1] a Hungarian-American author born in Budapest, Hungary. He escaped from his homeland during the Soviet occupation and endured an itinerant life in immediate post-war Europe. He tried first to emigrate to the United Kingdom and then to the USA where he finally settled in Gainesville, Florida.[2] He authored a number of short story collections including A Slow Soft River, A Bearer of Divine Revelation, and A Slight Momentary Affliction, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.[3] His short stories appeared in the literary journal, Virginia Quarterly Review.[4]
Dorr's work is best known for its highly literary, almost poetic quality, and the strong presence of faith and Christianity. In these works he frequently deals with the after-effects of World War II, both on his homeland and the individual. His later work is heavily influenced by the landscape of south and north Florida as it flashbacks to the horrors faced before his escape from occupied Budapest.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Remembering Janos Zsigmond Shoemyen". University of Florida. Archived from the original on March 29, 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ^ Dorr, Lawrence. A Slow Soft River. pp. 9–21.
- ^ Patten, April (July 25, 2004). "The words of a master". The Gainesville Sun. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ Dorr, Lawrence. "A Slight Momentary Afflication". The Virginia Quarterly Review. 63. University of Virginia: 564.
- ^ "Remembering Janos Zsigmond Shoemyen » Samuel Proctor Oral History Program » University of Florida". ufl.edu. Retrieved 1 September 2016.