Irving Wallace, one of the world's best-selling novelists whose books invariably enjoyed a marathon run on blockbuster lists despite what the critics said, died Friday of pancreatic cancer. He was 74.
Wallace died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with his wife and children at his side, hospital spokesman Ron Wise said.The author had entered the hospital June 26 and remained in serious condition until his death.
"He will be missed very much by his friends and his fans," said novelist Sidney Sheldon, a friend. "I thought he was a very good writer and a keen researcher. And, unlike others, he only competed with himself.
"I think his books will be read for a long time."
The Saturday Review magazine in 1987 named Wallace among the most widely read authors in the world, with sales of his 33 books topping 194 million copies. The number of people who had read his books in all forms, the world over, was placed at 970 million.
Asked in 1974 what special characteristics made him a best-selling novelist, Wallace said:
"One is a persisent drive that has outlasted an incredible amount of failure. Another is a tremendous amount of curiosity. I'm never bored. Every book I read, every scene I'm witness to, every conversation has some reward."
Born in Chicago, on March 19, 1916, Wallace's family moved to Kenosha, Wis., one year later where, as a young man, he earned a reputation as a fierce debater. The National Forensic League ranked him one of America's 10 best young public speakers in 1933.
But from 1956 on Wallace refused all offers for public speaking engagements, preferring to have his thoughts expressed in his books.
Wallace did not enjoy immediate acceptance as a writer. Although he sold his first short story at the age of 15, his writings did not enjoy wide popularity until 1955, when "The Chapman Report," his fifth book, became an international best seller. From that time on, every novel written by Wallace reached the top section of the sales charts.
Despite the artillery of critics, his best-sellers included "The Prize," "The Man," "The Plot," "The Word," "The Three Sirens," "The Seven Minutes," "The R Document," "The Pigeon Project" and "The Second Lady."
Wallace authored more than 500 stories and articles. They appeared in such magazines as "Esquire," "Cosmopolitan," "The Saturday Evening Post," "Collier's" and "Reader's Digest."