Robert Loomis
Encyclopedia
Robert Loomis is an executive book editor at Random House
, where he has worked since 1957. He has been called "one of publishing's hall of fame editors."
Many of Loomis' authors have been with him for decades; most notably, Maya Angelou
, who has never used another editor in her career, from her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
, published in 1969, to six autobiographies and over twenty books of poetry. His authors' loyalty to him and him to them is almost legendary. Loomis represents "the classic mold of the editor, which is to say, in the background. It’s not about him ... but about the genius of his writers." As Angelou has said, Loomis "knows what I hope to achieve in all my work. I don't know anybody as fierce, simply fierce, but he's as tender as he's tough."
Other notable authors who have been edited by Loomis include Calvin Trillin
, Edmund Morris (who wrote Dutch
, the "controversial" book about US President Ronald Reagan
), Shelby Foote
, Jonathan Harr
, and anchorman Jim Lehrer
. He edited the Vietnam war
epic, A Bright Shining Lie
, by Neil Sheehan
, which won both the Pulitzer Prize
and the National Book Award
, and in 1998, the novel he edited for Pete Dexter
, Paris Trout, earned the National Book Award
, "an unprecedented feat in editing."
Loomis and author William Styron
had known each other since they were both students at Duke University
, where Loomis was Stryon's editor at Duke's student magazine. Loomis went on to edit all of Stryon's books except Lie Down in Darkness, his first novel.
Loomis is married to Hilary Mills, who wrote a biography
about Norman Mailer
. He is a certified pilot
.
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, where he has worked since 1957. He has been called "one of publishing's hall of fame editors."
Many of Loomis' authors have been with him for decades; most notably, Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
, who has never used another editor in her career, from her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the 1969 autobiography about the early years of African-American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The first in a six-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma...
, published in 1969, to six autobiographies and over twenty books of poetry. His authors' loyalty to him and him to them is almost legendary. Loomis represents "the classic mold of the editor, which is to say, in the background. It’s not about him ... but about the genius of his writers." As Angelou has said, Loomis "knows what I hope to achieve in all my work. I don't know anybody as fierce, simply fierce, but he's as tender as he's tough."
Other notable authors who have been edited by Loomis include Calvin Trillin
Calvin Trillin
Calvin Marshall Trillin is an American journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist.-Biography:Trillin attended public schools in Kansas City and went on to Yale University, where he served as chairman of the Yale Daily News and was a member of Scroll and Key before graduating...
, Edmund Morris (who wrote Dutch
Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan
Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan a 1999 biography with fictional elements by Edmund Morris, a Kenyan-born writer now living in the United States, about Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States...
, the "controversial" book about US President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
), Shelby Foote
Shelby Foote
Shelby Dade Foote, Jr. was an American historian and novelist who wrote The Civil War: A Narrative, a massive, three-volume history of the war. With geographic and cultural roots in the Mississippi Delta, Foote's life and writing paralleled the radical shift from the agrarian planter system of the...
, Jonathan Harr
Jonathan Harr
Jonathan Harr is an American writer, best known for A Civil Action.Harr was born in Beloit, Wisconsin. He lives and works in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he has taught nonfiction writing at Smith College. He is a former staff writer at New England Monthly and has written for The New Yorker...
, and anchorman Jim Lehrer
Jim Lehrer
James Charles "Jim" Lehrer is an American journalist and the executive editor and former news anchor for PBS NewsHour on PBS, known for his role as a frequent debate moderator during elections...
. He edited the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
epic, A Bright Shining Lie
A Bright Shining Lie
A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam is a book by Neil Sheehan, a former New York Times reporter who covered the Vietnam War. It is about retired U.S...
, by Neil Sheehan
Neil Sheehan
Cornelius Mahoney "Neil" Sheehan is an American journalist. As a reporter for The New York Times in 1971, Sheehan obtained the classified Pentagon Papers from Daniel Ellsberg. His series in the Times revealed a secret U.S. Department of Defense history of the Vietnam War and resulted in government...
, which won both the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
and the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
, and in 1998, the novel he edited for Pete Dexter
Pete Dexter
Pete Dexter is an American novelist. He was the recipient of the 1988 National Book Award for Fiction for his novel Paris Trout.-Biography:Dexter was born in Pontiac, Michigan...
, Paris Trout, earned the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
, "an unprecedented feat in editing."
Loomis and author William Styron
William Styron
William Clark Styron, Jr. was an American novelist and essayist who won major literary awards for his work.For much of his career, Styron was best known for his novels, which included...
had known each other since they were both students at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, where Loomis was Stryon's editor at Duke's student magazine. Loomis went on to edit all of Stryon's books except Lie Down in Darkness, his first novel.
Loomis is married to Hilary Mills, who wrote a biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
about Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
. He is a certified pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
.