Erich Segal

Erich Wolf Segal (June 16, 1937, Brooklyn, New York – January 17, 2010, London) was an American writer, screenwriter, and classical scholar. Born into a Jewish family, the son of a rabbi, Segal graduated in classical philology from Harvard (B.A. 1958, M.A. 1959, Ph.D. 1965 on ancient comedy). He taught Greek and Latin literature at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Munich, Dartmouth, and Oxford (Wolfson College, honorary fellow 1999–2010). Known for his passion for ancient theater, he wrote significant studies such as Roman Laughter: The Comedy of Plautus (1968) and The Death of Comedy (2001).

Segal's literary breakthrough came with the novel Love Story (1970), a bestseller translated into 33 languages, with over 20 million copies sold. The novel, based on his screenplay, was adapted into a film (1970, Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay). A sequel, Oliver's Story (1977), was also made into a film. Other novels include Man, Woman and Child (1980), The Class (1985, awarded in France and Italy), Doctors (1988), Acts of Faith (1992), and Only Love (1997). He worked as a screenwriter on the film Yellow Submarine (1968). He was also a marathon commentator at the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games. Despite their success, critics often considered his novels sentimental.

Segal suffered from Parkinson's disease for 25 years and died of a heart attack. Married to Karen James, he had two daughters, including the writer Francesca Segal. His work remains synonymous with the emotional simplicity and cultural impact of Love Stories.