In 1945 Buckley enrolled at Yale University where he became a member of the infamous secret society, Skull and Bones. A year after graduation, he was recruited into the CIA, in which he reportedly served for less than a year. In 1955, he founded the conservative National Review. From 1966 to 1999 he hosted the PBS show Firing Line. Throughout his career, he published many works of fiction and non-fiction.

His wife Pat Buckley died last year. They had one son, writer and satirist Christopher Buckley.

Levin wrote Rosemary's Baby, the novel that was later turned into a movie directed by Roman Polanski and starring Mia Farrow.

Levin's other novels include A Kiss Before Dying, The Boys from Brazil, The Stepford Wives, and Sliver. All of these novels were turned into popular films, some of them more than once.

He was also a successful. His 1978 play Deathtrap holds the honor of being the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway. It was also made into a movie starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve.

In 2005, Mailer underwent heart bypass surgery. Last month, he was admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York with acute respiratory problems and underwent lung surgery.

Mailer's first novel was 1948's The Naked and the Dead, which the Modern Library hailed as one of the one hundred best novels in the English language. It was based on Mailer's experiences in WWII.

His other novels include Barbary Shore, The Deer Park, An American Dream, The Executioner's Song, Harlot's Ghost, and The Gospel According to the Son. His last work of fiction, published in 2007, was The Castle in the Forest.

His non-fiction books include The White Negro, Cannibals and Christians, The Armies of the Night, The Prisoner of Sex, Marilyn: A Biography, Portrait of Picasso as a Young Man, Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery, The Spooky Art: Some Thoughts on Writing, and his last non-fiction book, The Big Empty: Dialogues on Politics, Sex, God, Boxing, Morality, Myth, Poker and Bad Conscience in America.

Mailer was one of the founders of the Village Voice and became well-known for his essays and book reviews.

He received two Pulitzer Prizes and a National Book Award.

"A Wrinkle in Time," published in 1962, won the American Library Association's Newbery Medal for best children's book. It went through more than 60 printings, was adapted for television and other media and helped establish Ms. L'Engle among the best-selling children's authors of her generation.

Writer Madeleine L'Engle, 88; Author of 'A Wrinkle in Time'
MadeleineLengle.com

A best-selling practitioner of long-form narrative non-fiction, Mr. Halberstam had just finished correcting the galleys of what will be his 21st book, "The Coldest Winter," about battles in the Korean War in the winter of 1950 and 1951. The 700-plus page book, which he worked on for 10 years, is scheduled to be published by Hyperion in September.

His wife Jean Halberstam said: "He would like to be remembered as an historian and particularly remembered for his generosity to his peers and young people choosing the field of journalism."

Writer Halberstam is killed in car crash

"There was never a kinder and, at the same time, wittier writer to be with personally," author Tom Wolfe, a friend and admirer of Vonnegut's, told The Times. "He was just a gem in that respect. And as a writer, I guess he's the closest thing we had to a Voltaire. He could be extremely funny, but there was a vein of iron always underneath it, which made him quite remarkable."

LA Times: His popular novels blended social criticism, dark humor

She was first diagnosed in 1999 with stage III cancer. Over the past eight years she underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and many ups and downs in an effort to beat the cancer.

Last week, it was announced that her cancer was "back with a vengeance" and that she had been hospitalized. She entered hospice care and died on January 31st.

Her writing was often controversial. In a world of stiff political correctness, she wrote what she felt and made no apologies. She often skewered President Bush and members of his administration. President Bush made the following statement after her passing:

"I respected her convictions, her passionate belief in the power of words, and her ability to turn a phrase. She fought her illness with that same passion. Her quick wit and commitment to her beliefs will be missed."

A few years ago, she said:

"Keep fighting for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce."

No matter what your political beliefs, you would do well to be as fearless as Molly Ivins.

Molly Ivins's Joyful Outrage
Goodbye, Molly

Tags: molly ivins, politics

Sheldon's novels include "Rage of Angels," "Master of the Game," "If Tomorrow Comes," "The Other Side of Midnight," "Windmills of the Gods," and many others. His first novel, "The Naked Face," was published in 1969.

Before he became a novelist, he was a successful television writer and producer. He wrote most of the episodes of "The Patty Duke Show" and he was the creator, producer, and writer for "I Dream of Jeannie," for which he won an Emmy Award.

His other awards include an Academy Award for Best Screenplay for "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" and a Tony Award for the musical "Redhead".

In 2004, Sheldon told CBS news anchor Julie Chen about his battle with bipolar disorder. He said:

I won an Oscar for "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer," and that was one of the worst nights of my life. I should have been exhilarated, and I was depressed. And I thought, you know, this is--there's something wrong. I'm not happy. And I went to a psychiatrist, and he said, `You have bipolar disorder. You're a manic-depressive.'

On writing and inspiration, he told CNN in 2000:

"Any talent is a gift," he said. "I think we're obligated to work as hard as we can at whatever talent we're lucky enough to have been given, whether it's writing or music or painting. We should just be grateful."

Author Sidney Sheldon Dies at 89

Mahfouz wrote more than 30 novels and won the Nobel prize in 1988. There was controversy over one novel, Children of Gebelawi, published in 1959, and in 1994 he was stabbed by a religious extremist.

Nobel-winning novelist Mahfouz dies, aged 94
Roundup: Egypt's Nobel writer Mahfouz dies at 95
Best-known books by Naguib Mahfouz