Most Popular Books by Erich Segal

"Mr. Segal has performed the by no means trifling task of making [Plautus''s] achievement credible and understandable."--Times Literary Supplement. "It is refreshing to find Plautus examined for what he undeniably was--a theatrical phenomenon."--Classical World. "We certainly need in English a book devoted to Plautus alone and here we have it."--Phoenix. "Many readers will do as I have done: read Roman Laughter with enjoyment and profit."--Classical Philology. "Of all the Greek and Roman playwrights," Erich Segal writes, "Titus Maccius Plautus is the least admired and the most imitated." In Roman Laughter, the first book-length study of Plautus, Segal argues that this neglected writer, often denounced by scholars for such crimes as "barbarous clownery," merits our serious attention precisely because he was the most successful poet of the ancient world. He analyzes the reasons behind this success, placing the author in his social and historical context and observing that Plautus''s wildly comedic flouting of Roman law and custom had a cathartic effect upon a people bound by rule in every aspect of their lives. This expanded edition contains a new preface that reconsiders the work of Plautus in light of recent scholarship and also contains essays on the Amphitryon and the Captivi.

From world-renowned author Erich Segal comes a powerful and moving saga of five extraordinary members of the Harvard class of 1958 and the women with whom their lives are intertwined. Five lives, five love stories: Danny Rossi, the musical prodigy, risks it all for Harvard, even a break with his domineering father. Yet his real problems are too much fame too soon—and too many women. Ted Lambros spends his four years as a commuter, an outsider. He is obsessed by his desire to climb to the top of the Harvard academic ladder, heedless of what it will cost him in personal terms. Jason Gilbert, the Golden Boy—handsome, charismatic, a brilliant athlete—learns at Harvard that he cannot ignore his Jewish background. Only in tragedy will he find his true identity. George Keller, a refugee from Communist Hungary, comes to Harvard with the barest knowledge of English. But with ruthless determination, he masters not only the language but the power structure of his new country. Andrew Eliot is haunted by three centuries of Harvard ancestors who cast giant shadows on his confidence. It is not until the sad and startling events of the reunion that he learns his value as a man. Their explosive story begins in a time of innocence and spans a turbulent quarter century, culminating in their dramatic twenty-five year reunion at which they confront their classmates—and the balance sheet of their own lives. Always at the center; amid the passion, laughter, and glory, stands Harvard—the symbol of who they are and who they will be. They were a generation who made the rules—then broke them—whose glittering successes, heartfelt tragedies, and unbridled ambitions would stun the world. Praise for The Class “Erich Segal’s best.”—Pittsburgh Press “First class entertainment.”—Cosmopolitan “An absorbing page-turner.”—Publishers Weekly “A panoramic saga.”—Philadelphia Inquirer

This is the wonderful, tumultuous, heartfelt story of Oliver Barrett IV and Jenny Cavilleri, the story of a rich Harvard jock and a wisecracking Radcliffe music major who have nothing in common but love, and everything else to share but time.

From Erich Segal comes an unforgettable story of love: the drama of a father and the son he never knew . . . and a marriage that must stand the greatest test of all. Bob and Sheila Beckwith had everything: rewarding careers, two wonderful daughters, and a perfect marriage . . . almost perfect. For what Sheila didn’t know was that Bob has once been unfaithful—only once, ten years ago during a business trip to France. What Bob didn’t know was that his brief affair produced a son. Now a tragic accident—and one fateful phone call—will change Bob and Sheila’s life forever. . . .

Oliver Barrett IV found his true soulmate when he met and fell in love with Jenny Cavilleri. Their love was magical, exhilarating . . . and though heartbreakingly brief, it was enough to last a lifetime. Or so Oliver told himself. Two years have passed since Jenny was taken from him, and Oliver truly believes he will never love again. Then one day, Marcie—beautiful and mysterious—enters his world . . . and suddenly the future holds a golden new promise. The poignant and unforgettable sequel to the beloved classic Love Story is a beautiful tale of one man''s journey out of the lonely darkness of grief and back into love''s warm embrace— a story that will capture your heart as only Erich Segal can.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Writing with all the passion of Love Story and power of The Class, Erich Segal sweeps us into the lives of the Harvard Medical School''s class of 1962. His stunning novel reveals the making of doctors—what makes them tick, scheme, hurt . . . and love. From the crucible of med school’s merciless training through the demanding hours of internship and residency to the triumphs—and sometimes tragedies—beyond, Doctors brings to vivid life the men and women who seek to heal but who must first walk through fire. At the novel’s heart is the unforgettable relationship of Barney Livingston and Laura Castellano, childhood friends who separately find unsettling celebrity and unsatisfying love—until their friendship ripens into passion. Yet even their devotion to each other, even their medical gifts may not be enough to save the one life they treasure above all others. Doctors—heartbreaking, witty, inspiring, and utterly, grippingly real—is a vibrant portrait that culminates in a murder, a trial . . . and a miracle.

"Funny, touching and infused with wonder, as all love stories should be."--San Francisco Examiner An enduring classic and the basis for the blockbuster 1970 film starring Ryan O''Neal and Ali McGraw, this special 50th anniversary edition of Love Story features a new introduction by Francesca Segal, as well as a P.S. section with illuminating material about the book. It is the story of Oliver Barrett IV, a rich jock from a stuffy WASP family on his way to a Harvard degree and a career in law, and Jenny Cavilleri, a wisecracking working-class beauty studying music at Radcliffe. Oliver and Jenny - kindred spirits from different worlds - meet, talk, question, answer and fall for each other so deeply that no one, themselves included, can understand it. So instead of trying to understand it, they accept it and live it as best they can. This is their story - a story of two young people and a love so uncompromising it will bring joy to your heart and tears to your eyes. It is the story that told the world, "Love means never having to say you''re sorry."

They met as children, innocents from two different worlds. And from that moment their lives were fated to be forever entwined. Timothy : Abandoned at birth, he finds a home--and a dazzling career--within the Catholic Church. But the vows he takes cannot protect him from one soul-igniting passion. Daniel : The scholarly son of a great rabbi, he is destined to follow in his father''s footsteps. And destined to break his father''s heart. Deborah : She was raised to be docile and dutiful--the perfect rabbi''s wife--but love will lead her to rebellion. And into world''s the patriarch would never dare imagine. Reaching across more than a quarter of a century, from the tough streets of Brooklyn to ultramodern Brasilia to an Israeli kibbutz, and radiating the splendor of two holy cities, Rome and Jerusalem, here is Erich Segal''s most provocative and ambitious novel to date--the unforgettable story of three extraordinary lives...and one forbidden love.

"SURPRISINGLY FUN . . . The heroic trio lead strenuous lives, ER-style, all with an eye for the Nobel Prize." --Kirkus Reviews Now from the bestselling author of Love Story and Doctors comes a powerful and moving saga of three extraordinary individuals as they compete for the ultimate glory: the Nobel Prize. Erich Segal takes us inside the research labs and clinics, the homes and hearts, of the world''s most elite doctors and scientists--two men and one woman--whose genius, dedication, and passion cannot always win for them the love and recognition they so desperately seek. Loyalty and betrayal, disappointment and loss, scandal and secrets--all will play roles in the personal and professional lives of these gifted scientists who hold the key to life and death for so many. And through it all the Nobel Prize beckons with its seductive promise. Two will be selected for this highest honor; one of them will not live to receive it. Yet all will discover the enduring truth: that life has many prizes to offer, and many come to us in the most unexpected ways. . . . "COMPELLING . . . It is reward in itself to follow the chronicle of three trailblazing scientists, each out to better the world while conquering his own personal demons." --West Coast Review of Books A MAIN SELECTION OF THE LITERARY GUILD(c)

"Dr. Matthew Hiller is about to face the most difficult moment of his life. The brilliant neurosurgeon''s next case is not simply a suffering patient for whom he is the last hope. It is Silvia - his only love." "Now married to one of the richest men in the world, Silvia can still evoke the same feelings in him that she did so long ago." "Even after all this time, he has not recovered from her unexplained disappearance on the eve of their marriage - and thoughts of her have haunted him ever since." "As a doctor, he must try to help her. As a spurned lover - and a married man - he must try to forget the past. And he dares not think about what might happen if he actually succeeds in saving her life..."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In a grand tour of comic theater over the centuries, Erich Segal traces the evolution of the classical form from its early origins in a misogynistic quip by the sixth-century B.C. Susarion, through countless weddings and happy endings, to the exasperated monosyllables of Samuel Beckett. With fitting wit, profound erudition lightly worn, and instructive examples from the mildly amusing to the uproarious, his book fully illustrates comedy''s glorious life cycle from its first breath to its death in the Theater of the Absurd. An exploration of various landmarks in the history of a genre that flourished almost unchanged for two millennia, The Death of Comedy revisits the obscenities and raucous twists of Aristophanes, the neighborly pleasantries of Menander, the tomfoolery and farce of Plautus. Segal shows how the ribaldry of foiled adultery, a staple of Roman comedy, reappears in force on the stages of Restoration England. And he gives us a closer look at the schadenfreude--delight in someone else''s misfortune--that marks Machiavelli''s and Marlowe''s works. At every turn in Segal''s analysis--from Shakespeare to Molière to Shaw--another facet of the comic art emerges, until finally, he argues, "the head conquers and the heart dies": Letting the intellect take the lead, Cocteau, Ionesco, and Beckett smother comedy as we know it. The book is a tour de force, a sweeping panorama of the art and history of comedy, as insightful as it is delightful to read.