The Princess Bride,

Blending suspenseful thrillers, satirical fantasy, and acclaimed screenplays, a seven-decade literary career produced iconic novels and award-winning cinema. William Goldman established himself as both an influential novelist and a two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter whose works bridged popular fiction and major film adaptations. He is widely recognized for his enduring fantasy novel The Princess Bride and his tense psychological thriller Marathon Man.

Career & Background

Born on August 12, 1931, in Highland Park, Illinois, Goldman grew up near Chicago alongside his brother, writer James Goldman. He earned a bachelor's degree in English from Oberlin College in 1952, where he served as an editor for the school's literary magazine, and later completed a master's degree in English at Columbia University in 1956. He published his debut novel, The Temple of Gold, in 1957, beginning a creative period that included novel writing, non-fiction, and teaching creative writing at Princeton University from 1965 to 1966.

Goldman transitioned into screenwriting in 1965 with Masquerade, making Hollywood history in 1967 when 20th Century Fox purchased his original screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid for a record sum of $400,000. The 1969 film earned him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, along with BAFTA and Golden Globe honors. He earned a second Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for All the President's Men in 1976. Over seven decades, Goldman authored 16 novels alongside numerous plays and screenplays, continuing his career until his death in New York on November 16, 2018.

Writing Style & Themes

Goldman's writing style is noted for sharp dialogue, genre versatility, and clever narrative framing. In works like The Princess Bride, he employed satirical metafiction and humor, using the fictional pseudonym S. Morgenstern to craft a playful framing device around a classic fairy tale adventure. His thrillers, such as Marathon Man, highlight his talent for building psychological tension, intricate dramatic plotting, and memorable dialogue across both prose and screen adaptations.

Major Works

• The Princess Bride — Published in 1973 under a playful metafictional framework attributing the story to S. Morgenstern, this satirical fantasy novel combines adventure, romance, and humor. Goldman later adapted his book into the celebrated 1987 feature film.
• Marathon Man — A prominent suspense novel in Goldman's bibliography, this tight psychological thriller demonstrates his mastery of high-stakes pacing, sharp character dialogue, and dramatic tension.
• The Temple of Gold — Published in 1957, this debut novel launched Goldman's long career in fiction following his graduate studies at Columbia University.
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid — Released as a feature film in 1969 after Goldman's record-breaking 1967 spec script sale, this Western screenplay earned him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
• All the President's Men — Goldman adapted this political drama for the screen in 1976, winning his second Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.