Let's take a moment to mourn the death of Studs Terkel, a writer who knew when to shut up and let others speak for themselves. A masterful interviewer, Turkel really listened to his subjects and responded to them, instead of just throwing prepared questions at them and scribbling their answers. He could draw interviewees out on minute details--sometimes on subjects that others were afraid to touch (see THE GOOD WAR: An Oral History of World War II).
The LA Times has a wonderful article on Terkel that goes into greater detail about this remarkable man's work. Also, check out the Chicago Historical Society's Web site and this from NPR.
George Carlin, David Foster Wallace, James Crumley, Paul Newman . . . now Studs Terkel. We've been losing a lot of the great ones lately.
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