Bruce Alexander Cook
Encyclopedia
Bruce Alexander Cook was an American journalist and author who wrote under the pseudonym Bruce Alexander, creating historical novels about a blind 18th century Englishman and also a 20th century Mexican-American detective.
. His family moved often as a child, his father being a train dispatcher with frequent new assignments. He earned a degree in literature from Loyola University (Chicago).
His first wife was Catherine Coghlan, with whom he had three children, Catherine (Katy), Bob, and Ceci. He married concert violinist Judith Aller
in 1994.
He served as a translator in the U.S. Army in Frankfurt, Germany, in the late 1950s and also did public relations
work. He joined the editorial staff of the National Observer
in Washington, D.C., in 1967 and covered movies, books, and music. When that newspaper folded, he became book editor of USA Today
, the Detroit News, and then the Los Angeles Daily News
(from 1984 to 1990).http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AUTHOR,+EX-DAILY+NEWS+BOOK+EDITOR+BRUCE+COOK+DIES.-a0110087463 He was a senior editor at Newsweek
. In the meantime, he was writing as a free-lance, selling to such publications as the National Catholic Reporter
.
He died of a stroke November 9, 2003, in Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, Hollywood, California.
followed in 1977. His first novel was Chicago-based Sex Life, in 1978.
He wrote four novels featuring Los Angeles detective Antonio "Chico" Cervantes — Mexican Standoff, 1988, Rough Cut, 1990, Death as a Career Move, 1992, and Sidewalk Hilton, 1994. He also wrote a series of novels about the blind magistrate Sir John Fielding
, the real-life founder of London's first police force.
His later nonfiction works were Listen to the Blues, a musical history, in 1973; Brecht in Exile, about the German writer Bertold Brecht, in 1983; and The Town That Country Built: Welcome to Branson, Missouri
, in 1993. His final books, published posthumously, were Young Will: The Confessions of William Shakespeare and a Fielding book, Rules of Engagement, for which his widow and writer John Shannon
put on the finishing touches.http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2004/12/bruce_cook_trib.php
Biography
Cook was born in 1932 in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. His family moved often as a child, his father being a train dispatcher with frequent new assignments. He earned a degree in literature from Loyola University (Chicago).
His first wife was Catherine Coghlan, with whom he had three children, Catherine (Katy), Bob, and Ceci. He married concert violinist Judith Aller
Judith Aller
Judith Aller is an American violinist, the daughter of pianist Victor Aller. She was a student of violinist Jascha Heifetz at the University of Southern California. She was married first to a Finn, Ilkka Talvi, living in Helsinki and Pori, and later was married to author Bruce Alexander...
in 1994.
He served as a translator in the U.S. Army in Frankfurt, Germany, in the late 1950s and also did public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
work. He joined the editorial staff of the National Observer
National Observer
The National Observer was a weekly American newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company from 1962 until 1977. Hunter S. Thompson wrote several articles for the National Observer as the correspondent for Latin America early in his career....
in Washington, D.C., in 1967 and covered movies, books, and music. When that newspaper folded, he became book editor of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, the Detroit News, and then the Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Daily News
The Los Angeles Daily News is the second-largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a branch of Colorado-based MediaNews Group....
(from 1984 to 1990).http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AUTHOR,+EX-DAILY+NEWS+BOOK+EDITOR+BRUCE+COOK+DIES.-a0110087463 He was a senior editor at Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. In the meantime, he was writing as a free-lance, selling to such publications as the National Catholic Reporter
National Catholic Reporter
The National Catholic Reporter is the second largest Catholic newspaper in the United States; its circulation reaches ninety-seven countries on six continents. Based in midtown Kansas City, Missouri, NCR was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964 as an independent newspaper focusing on the Catholic Church...
.
He died of a stroke November 9, 2003, in Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, Hollywood, California.
Books
Cook's first book was a nonfiction work, The Beat Generation, published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1971. A biography of screenwriter Dalton TrumboDalton Trumbo
James Dalton Trumbo was an American screenwriter and novelist, and one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of film professionals who refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 during the committee's investigation of Communist influences in the motion picture industry...
followed in 1977. His first novel was Chicago-based Sex Life, in 1978.
He wrote four novels featuring Los Angeles detective Antonio "Chico" Cervantes — Mexican Standoff, 1988, Rough Cut, 1990, Death as a Career Move, 1992, and Sidewalk Hilton, 1994. He also wrote a series of novels about the blind magistrate Sir John Fielding
John Fielding
This article is about the London magistrate. For the soldier, see John Williams .Sir John Fielding was a notable English magistrate and social reformer of the 18th century. He was also the younger half-brother of novelist, playwright and chief magistrate Henry Fielding...
, the real-life founder of London's first police force.
His later nonfiction works were Listen to the Blues, a musical history, in 1973; Brecht in Exile, about the German writer Bertold Brecht, in 1983; and The Town That Country Built: Welcome to Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
, in 1993. His final books, published posthumously, were Young Will: The Confessions of William Shakespeare and a Fielding book, Rules of Engagement, for which his widow and writer John Shannon
John Shannon (novelist)
John Shannon is a contemporary American author, lately of detective fiction. He began his career with four well-reviewed novels in the 1970s and 1980s, then in 1996 launched the Jack Liffey mystery series...
put on the finishing touches.http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2004/12/bruce_cook_trib.php