Robert Grossbach

Robert Grossbach (born 1941) is an American writer and engineer.^[1][2] He has written four novels, including Easy and Hard Ways Out. He has also penned many novelizations, mostly of Neil Simon screenplays.^[3]

Robert Grossbach
Born	1941 (age 82–83)
Occupation	Writer engineer
Nationality	American

The 1984 movie Best Defense, starring Dudley Moore, is loosely based on Easy and Hard Ways Out. Robert Altman considered directing an adaptation of the novel in 1976, from a screenplay by Alan Rudolph.^[4] The director and screenwriter also tried to film an adaptation of A Shortage of Engineers, in 2002, before Altman moved on to The Company.^[5]

Grossbach's novels have received strong reviews.^[6][7][8][9] The New York Times wrote that "as a stylist, Grossbach is in a league with Wallace Markfield, Mordecai Richter and Bruce Jay Friedman."^[10]

He has contributed short stories to The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and Transatlantic Review.^[11][12] Grossbach has taught at NYU and UCLA Extension.^[13]

Novels

• Someone Great (1971)
• Easy and Hard Ways Out (1974)
• Never Say Die: An Autonecrographical Novel (1979)
• A Shortage of Engineers (2001)

Novelizations

• The Cheap Detective (1978)
• The Goodbye Girl (1978)
• "...And Justice for All" (1979)
• California Suite (1979)
• The Frisco Kid (1979)
• Going in Style (1979)^[14]
• Chapter Two (1980)
• The Devil and Max Devlin (1980)
• Four Friends (1981)
• Georgia (1982)

References

1. "Fiction Book Review: A SHORTAGE OF ENGINEERS by Robert Grossbach, Author . St. Martin's $23.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-312-27554-9". PublishersWeekly.com.
2. "Love Story: A mom's set-up leads to lasting love". Newsday.
3. "Robert Grossbach". www.librarything.com.
4. Altman, Robert (August 3, 2000). Robert Altman: Interviews. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781578061877 – via Google Books.
5. Fleming, Michael (January 17, 2002). "Amped up for 'Voltage'".
6. Levin, Martin (October 31, 1971). "Reader's Report". The New York Times.
7. "EASY AND HARD WAYS OUT by Robert Grossbach | Kirkus Reviews" – via www.kirkusreviews.com.
8. "Fiction Book Review: A SHORTAGE OF ENGINEERS by Robert Grossbach, Author . St. Martin's $23.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-312-27554-9".
9. "NEVER SAY DIE by Robert Grossbach | Kirkus Reviews" – via www.kirkusreviews.com.
10. Levin, Martin (January 26, 1975). "New & Novel". The New York Times.
11. "Interview: Robert Grossbach on "Driverless" : The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction".
12. Grossbach, Robert (1971). "STANDARDS". The Transatlantic Review (40): 144–150. JSTOR 41513150.
13. Moran, T. (July 9, 2009). "The work of writing: Lessons from literary engineers". 2009 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference. pp. 1–7. doi:10.1109/IPCC.2009.5208699. ISBN 978-1-4244-4357-4. S2CID 36180136 – via IEEE Xplore.
14. Going in Style. June 27, 2017 – via www.hachettebookgroup.com.