Edgar Lawrence Doctorow is of the most beloved writers of our time whose books are published in more than thirty languages. He was born in the Bronx, a child who grew up in a family where reading was an essential part of life. After college, Doctorow wrote in his spare time while working at a variety of odd jobs, including a stint as an airline reservations clerk, later became a script reader for Columbia Pictures which helped pave the way for a successful publishing career. He had his first novel "Welcome to Hard Times" published in 1960 and went on to author "The Book of Daniel" (inspired by the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg for giving nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union), "Ragtime" (a blend of history and fiction set during the dazzle of turn-of-the-century America), "World's Fair" (about a young boy's life in the New York City of the 1930s), "Billy Bathgate" and "The March." Doctorow is the recipient of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the National Book Award, and the National Humanities Medal.