By Sol Yurick passed away last Saturday in Manhattan at the age of 87. According to his daughter, the cause was complications of lung cancer. Before he wrote “The Warriors,” he worked as a social investigator with the welfare department and from this job was he able to write the basis of his first book.
For those who don’t know, The Warriors, released in 1979 and directed by Walter Hill was an adaptation of Sol Yurik’s 1965 novel of the same name. In fact, when the film was released Mr. Yurick expressed disappointment in it. In the preface to his 2003 edition of “The Warriors,” Mr. Yurick told that he wrote the book originally as a counterpoint to the glamorization of gang life portrayal in popular culture of the time, including West Side Story.
For those who haven’t seen The Warriors, I would highly recommend watching this well-known cult film classic. It has several great elements: a story that borrows elements from the Greek story and narrative “Anabasis” by Xenophon, a great soundtrack including the song “Nowhere to Run” performed by Arnold McCuller, great brawling scenes, and you can see how awful-looking New York City’s Time Square used to be! Actually, I would highly recommend both the novel and the film because they are equally as good as they are separate.
[via The New York Times]