Sylvia Baumgarten, award-winning historical romance novelist, 1933-2024
February 6, 2024 4:12 PM Subscribe
On February 1rst, Sylvia Baumgarten, award-winning romance novelist, died at the age of 90.
Sylvia Rosen Baumgarten-- also known as Sylvia Halliday, Louisa Rawlings and Ena Halliday-- died of lung cancer on the morning of February 1rst. She graduated from Brown in 1955, and from 1982 to 2015, wrote for a variety of publishers, including Pocket Books, Kensington Publishing Corp., Harlequin, and Diversion Books. She was also a President of the Romance Writers of America, New York City Chapter, and her books were nominated for multiple awards.
Forever Wild was a finalist for the RWA/Golden Medallion award, Best Historical Romance (1986). Stolen Spring received a Romantic Times nomination as Best French Historical (1988), while Promise of Summer [archive.org link] received the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award as the Best Historical Romance set in France (1989). Wicked Stranger had also been nominated for a Rita Award by the Romance Writers of America.
Baumgarten's papers are available in the Manuscripts Division of Brown University, and include press kits, book reviews, news clippings, public relations material (including photographs), interviews, correspondence about her books, and the manuscripts of Stolen Spring and Dreams So Fleeting.
She also blogged extensively about her observations and experiences selling wedding dresses at Macy's in New York.
She was a great talent, as well as witty, opinionated and immensely generous. She will be greatly missed.
Sylvia Rosen Baumgarten-- also known as Sylvia Halliday, Louisa Rawlings and Ena Halliday-- died of lung cancer on the morning of February 1rst. She graduated from Brown in 1955, and from 1982 to 2015, wrote for a variety of publishers, including Pocket Books, Kensington Publishing Corp., Harlequin, and Diversion Books. She was also a President of the Romance Writers of America, New York City Chapter, and her books were nominated for multiple awards.
Forever Wild was a finalist for the RWA/Golden Medallion award, Best Historical Romance (1986). Stolen Spring received a Romantic Times nomination as Best French Historical (1988), while Promise of Summer [archive.org link] received the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award as the Best Historical Romance set in France (1989). Wicked Stranger had also been nominated for a Rita Award by the Romance Writers of America.
Baumgarten's papers are available in the Manuscripts Division of Brown University, and include press kits, book reviews, news clippings, public relations material (including photographs), interviews, correspondence about her books, and the manuscripts of Stolen Spring and Dreams So Fleeting.
She also blogged extensively about her observations and experiences selling wedding dresses at Macy's in New York.
She was a great talent, as well as witty, opinionated and immensely generous. She will be greatly missed.
I don't believe I knew anything about her before seeing this post, but I have clicked through to her blog (Life Lessons From An Old Bitch! how marvellous!) and can confirm it's wonderful.
Thank you for sharing that link, suburbanbeatnik, and links to her best-known works, so we can celebrate her life. I'm glad to know about her, and the echoes of her voice that will remain.
posted by kristi at 4:25 PM on February 6 [8 favorites]
Thank you for sharing that link, suburbanbeatnik, and links to her best-known works, so we can celebrate her life. I'm glad to know about her, and the echoes of her voice that will remain.
posted by kristi at 4:25 PM on February 6 [8 favorites]
That blog is FANTASTIC. I have a friend who is older than Sylvia, still ticking along, and she always says she is doing "Not bad for an old broad." This made me think of her. Thank you for sharing.
posted by Orkney Vole at 2:16 AM on February 7 [1 favorite]
posted by Orkney Vole at 2:16 AM on February 7 [1 favorite]
.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 12:01 PM on February 7
posted by kitten kaboodle at 12:01 PM on February 7
Wow, my public library doesn't seem to have books under any of those four author names.
posted by clew at 11:52 AM on February 8
posted by clew at 11:52 AM on February 8
@clew, that's really too bad. But a lot of her books are available as ebooks on Amazon and on archive.org. Of the ebooks available, I'd recommend Summer Darkness, Winter Light-- and for the books on archive.org, I'd recommend Autumn Rose. I hope you enjoy!
posted by suburbanbeatnik at 12:56 PM on February 15 [1 favorite]
posted by suburbanbeatnik at 12:56 PM on February 15 [1 favorite]
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