James Salter, 90

Photo by Jill Krementz, published in the NYT.

JAMES SALTER has died. He was 90. Considered a writer's writer and the "greatest writer you've never read," he has written novels, short stories, and essays that have brought me delight and inspiration. Not a lot of people, even avid readers, know about him. His books are a rarity in bookstores. I only find them in thrift or second-hand shops.

• His collection, Dusk and Other Stories, proves that Mr. Salter knew the power of a well-constructed sentence—short, crisp, yet evocative. 
• His writing habit stands as a strong argument against throwing away physical notebooks and resorting to the digital media. He has excellent handwriting, too.
• An excerpt from his Paris Review interview when he was asked what the ultimate impulse to write is. His answer: "To write? Because all this is going to vanish. The only thing left will be the prose and poems, the books, what is written down. Man was very fortunate to have invented the book. Without it the past would completely vanish, and we would be left with nothing, we would be naked on earth."
• The Paris Review has published some of his shorts; these can be accessed for free: Sundays (1966), Via Negativa (1972), and Bangkok (2003).

He will be missed.