Rest in peace, Michael Silverblatt

The “Bookworm” host and voracious, world-class, generous reader has died. Here’s Sam Roberts’ obituary for the NYT, and a personal essay from Jynne Dilling in n+1.

In addition to being a grateful listener of many hours of Silverblatt’s penetrating, warm interviews over the years, I was fortunate to connect with him directly when editing “The Ear’s Mouth Must Move: Essential Interviews of William H. Gass.” Silverblatt was a major champion of Gass’s work, referring to “The Tunnel” as “the most beautiful, most complex, most disturbing novel to be published in my lifetime.”

When I spoke with Silverblatt on the phone in November 2011, he said he was of course happy to grant me permission to include two of his interviews with Gass in my collection. He asked with great affection about Bill, knowing I was in touch with him here in St. Louis, and said he was enjoying Gass’s new novel, “Middle C.” He was, characteristically, amid his second read-through.