Laurie Colwin was born on June 14, 1944, and passed away on October 24, 1992. She was an American writer who created five novels, three books with short stories, and two books containing essays and recipes. Her writing often focused on life in New York society, and she wrote food articles for Gourmet magazine. In 2012, the James Beard Foundation honored her by adding her name to the Cookbook Hall of Fame.

Early life

Colwin was born in Manhattan, New York City, and grew up in Lake Ronkonkoma on Long Island, Philadelphia, and Chicago. She was the second child of Estelle Colwin (née Woolfson) and Peter Colwin. While living in Philadelphia, she attended Cheltenham High School. After her death, the school added her to its Hall of Fame in 1999.

Career

Lucy Colwin began writing stories at a young age. Her first work was published in The New Yorker, and in 1974, her first book of short stories was released. She wrote many articles for Gourmet magazine and also contributed to Mademoiselle, Allure, and Playboy. Her non-fiction books, Home Cooking and More Home Cooking, are collections of essays that also share personal stories from her life. In the introduction to Home Cooking, Colwin wrote: "Even when cooking alone, a cook is surrounded by the help and knowledge of many other cooks who came before. In my kitchen, I use the advice from cooks like Edna Lewis, Marcella Hazan, Jane Grigson, Elizabeth David, and others who wrote about food."

In 2012, Colwin was honored by the James Beard Foundation and added to the Cookbook Hall of Fame after her death.

Her published works include Passion and Affect (1974), Shine on, Bright and Dangerous Object (1975), Happy All the Time (1978), The Lone Pilgrim (1981), Wet (1974), Family Happiness (1982), Another Marvelous Thing (1988), Home Cooking (1988), Goodbye without Leaving (1990), More Home Cooking (1993), and A Big Storm Knocked It Over (1993). A short story by Colwin, An Old-Fashioned Story, was turned into a 90-minute film titled Ask Me Again for the PBS series American Playhouse. The film aired on February 8, 1989.

Her last two books, More Home Cooking and A Big Storm Knocked It Over, were published after her death. She is also featured in a 2005 photography book titled Writers by Nancy Crampton, which includes portraits of many famous authors.

Personal life

In 1983, Colwin married Juris Jurjevics, who died in 2018. Jurjevics was a novelist and co-founded Soho Press. The couple had one child, RF Jurjevics, who later became a technology professional and writer-illustrator. Colwin passed away suddenly in 1992 in Manhattan due to an aortic aneurysm at the age of 48.