Irving Malin 1934 to 2014

Irving Malin has died at 80. He was an emeritus professor of literature at CUNY specializing in Jewish American literature and later on in postmodern lit. He was a surrogate father to me in many ways. Without him my POWELL book would never have been published, and possibly my entire book writing career would not have happened. He began to fade by the time THEORY was published but helped me particularly  the queer chapter, which indicates how curious and forward looking he was. He was America's finest literary friend

He was a champion of writers ranging from Joyce Carol Oates to James Purdy, from Jennifer Vanderbes to Douglas Glover, Millicent Dillon to David Foster Wallace, A G Mojtabai to Peter Carey, George Garrett to Grorge Minot. He commanded the literary world from his second floor bedroom in Forest Hills. 

He is survived by his loving and talented wife Ruth who selflessly took care of him for the four years of his illness and shared fifty years of intellectual  and literary companionship with him. 

He rejoiced in the emrgence of critical minds of the next generation like Brian McHale, Steven G Kellman, and Brooke Horvath. 

His loss is a seismic one to all 

Here is the obit in the TIMES.