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Ruth died suddenly of a heart attack in 1965. Ellis went on to have several extended romances, one with June Morgan and another with Selma Pezaro. Although Ellis was not a strong presence in his daughter's childhood, he and Sandy became close in her adulthood, writing numerous letters and challenging
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Shortly after Sandra's birth, Ellis became aware that a previous diagnosis of a hernia was incorrect. He anticipated being drafted and consequently sought a commission in the navy. He was unable to receive one as he was underweight. As a result, he joined the navy and reported to training on
November
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was filled with words—both his own and from other collected books and articles. It was difficult to move about, with books stacked randomly in high piles. Ellis would laugh at his own lack of organizing skills, and was happy to serve guests tea and talk about various subjects.
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where he continued to publish a newspaper, this time explicitly to improve the sailors' morale. Four months later the war ended and he returned to the United States. His wife requested a divorce which he granted the following month; he returned to
Chicago to work at the
216:. The diary records his impressions of these famous personalities. Ellis was equally fascinated by the experiences and perceptions of ordinary people. He prided himself on his curiosity and eagerness to learn and considered himself what
162:. Ellis loved New York City deeply and would remain there for the rest of his life, eventually meeting and marrying Ruth Kraus with whom he had an exceptionally happy marriage. After 15 years at the
166:, Ellis quit after a disagreement with a city editor. He used his time unemployed to write several books, often with Ruth's help. Four of these books were published in his lifetime.
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each other intellectually. He also forged mentoring relationships with other diarists, usually through interviews and by publishing parts of the diary in
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146:. He used his position to publish editorials promoting enlisted people's rights as well as critiques of war. After basic training he was stationed in
119:, covering New Deal offices and programs. As part of this position he reported on the Oklahoma Federal Symphony Orchestra, which was funded by the
94:, where he grew up. He began writing his diary in 1927 as part of a bet with two other young men as to who could keep up a journal the longest.
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He was believed to be the most prolific diarist in the history of
American letters, writing an estimated 22 million words. He was listed in the
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7, 1942. With diary keeping prohibited in the armed forces, he changed its format from private entries to letters to his wife and daughter.
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called "a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles." The diary is a collection of those trifles and an attempt by its author,
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22:(February 22, 1911 – September 7, 1998) was an American diarist and journalist. During his career he worked in
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Ellis did not fit in under the new management at the newspaper in
Chicago and soon left for New York to work at the
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Ellis was determined to be a reporter from an early age. He started out writing feature stories for his hometown's
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to hire him as a consultant, and to create a diary modeled on his recommendations called "The Ellis Diary."
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Ellis detested boot camp, and upon finishing he was appointed editor of the navy hospital newspaper called
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Throughout his career as a reporter, Ellis interviewed numerous celebrities and public figures including
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in 1927 as a teenager and wrote almost every day for more than 70 years, filling a volume each year.
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office. In this position he covered the events of the Great
Depression and the political career of
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New York
University's Fales Library and Special Collections Guide to the Edward Robb Ellis Papers
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115:. After two years in New Orleans, he moved to Oklahoma City and became a journalist for the
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Echoes of
Distant Thunder: Life in the United States, 1914-1918
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A Nation in
Torment: The Great American Depression, 1929-1939.
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A Diary of the
Century: Tales by America's Greatest Diarist
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No writer's block here: Man has kept a diary for 64 years.
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Edward Robb Ellis Dies at 87; Diarist of 22 Million Words
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Salon: "The Man Who Wrote the
Century" by Laura Johnston
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Ellis' apartment on the third floor on W. 21st St. in
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newspaper, and attended the journalism program at the
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Ellis was the most prolific diarist in the US history
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Fales Library Guide to the Edward Robb Ellis Papers
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251:The Epic of New York City: A Narrative History
231:Ellis continued to write until his death from
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306:Robert Shields, Wordy Diarist, Dies at 89
66:and New York City, as well as a study of
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90:Edward Robb Ellis was born in 1911 in
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245:Traitor Within: Our Suicide Problem
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185:. His reputation as a diarist led
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226:A Diary of the Century
183:Lansford, Pennsylvania
172:A Diary of the Century
105:University of Missouri
72:A Diary of the Century
47:as having the world's
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259:Perigee Trade, 1972.
144:The Bedside Examiner
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117:Oklahoma City Times
80:New York University
16:American journalist
386:The New York Times
371:February 20, 2020
330:2008-07-05 at the
310:The New York Times
129:Journal-Transcript
57:Dayton, Washington
34:. Ellis began his
271:. Kodansha, 1995.
202:Eleanor Roosevelt
179:Diarist's Journal
92:Kewanee, Illinois
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426:1998 deaths
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210:Grace Kelly
24:New Orleans
415:Categories
276:References
153:Daily News
133:Daily News
235:in 1998.
233:emphysema
194:Manhattan
113:Huey Long
86:Biography
328:Archived
148:Okinawa
68:suicide
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