Lawrence Graver

Professor Lawrence S. Graver 1931-2010 WILLIAMSTOWN Professor Lawrence Stanley Graver, 78, of 117 Forest Rd., Williamstown, died Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010, at his home, after a long illness. Born on Dec. 6, 1931, in New York City, son of Louis Graver and Rose Pearlstein, he grew up in an immigrant family in the South Bronx, lost his father at a young age, and was headed toward being an accountant when his stepfather, Abraham Dinnerstein, noticed his love of literature and encouraged him to follow his passion. Lawrence Graver received a Bachelors degree from the City College of New York in 1954, and his Masters degree and Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley in 1959 and 1961. It was in Latin class at Berkeley that he met Suzanne Levy, who became his wife. Professor Graver was a veteran of the Korean Conflict, serving in the Army. Professor Graver began his teaching career at the University of California, Los Angeles, and then in 1964 moved to the Williams College Department of English. He was an important figure in the study of 19th- and 20th-century English and American literature, with a special interest in contemporary fiction and drama, and in American Jewish literature. Beyond his academic work, he was a productive writer of books and reviews that brought his scholarship to a wider popular audience. He was a frequent contributor to the "New York Times Book Review." His 1989 review in the "Times" of "The Remains of the Day" was instrumental in turning what was then an obscure novel by a little-known author, Kazuo Ishiguro, into an international sensation. Lawrence Graver's 1997 book, "An Obsession With Anne Frank: Meyer Levin and the Diary," was widely acclaimed for unearthing an extraordinary untold story about the battle over dramatizing Anne Frank's life. Professor Graver set this story against the larger dynamics of the American response to the Holocaust. He also wrote important books on the playwright Samuel Beckett, and on authors Joseph Conrad and Carson McCullers. An annual drama award is being established at the college in his name. Professor Graver, who was John Hawley Roberts Professor of English Emeritus at Williams College, was also widely known as an extraordinarily gifted teacher, appreciated as much for his kindness, humor, and generosity as for the keen intelligence, human insight, and wit he brought to both the classroom and the literature he taught. He had a powerful influence on generations of students at Williams College. The same qualities that made him so remarkable a teacher and author also made him a treasured husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He will be greatly missed. Professor Graver leaves his wife, Suzanne Levy Graver, whom he married in Queens, N.Y., on Jan. 28, 1960; two daughters, Ruth Graver, of New York City, and Elizabeth Graver, of Lincoln, Mass.; two sons-in-law, Michael Grunebaum and Jim Pingeon; four grandchildren, Sam and Jacob Grunebaum and Chloe and Sylvie Graver Pingeon; a stepbrother, Leonard Dinnerstein, and a stepsister, Rita Kabaskalian. FUNERAL NOTICE: Funeral Services for Professor Lawrence Stanley Graver will take place Wednesday, Mar. 3, 2010, at 12:30 p.m. at the Williams College Jewish Religious Center, 24 Stetson Court. Burial will be private. Memorial donations can be made to Williams College or CurePSP, Executive Plaza III, 11350 McCormick